Retribution X: The End?
by Anything but ordinary3
Summary: PG 13 as a caution really! Ok Retribution X go on a serious mission that could result in one of them losing their life. *Updated*
1. Unexpected news

Disclaimer: The characters you don't recognise are mine, the ones you don't aren't but I do take some kind of foolish delight in torturing them…smiles brightly please don't sue me!

**Ok I realise this isn't normal Retribution X, but it derived from an inspiration to see what the gang could really do in a tight spot!! A character will be dead by the end of this extremely long work. I commend you if you stay with us until the end and hopefully you will have a better understanding of the characters, or have just enjoyed me writing something other than weirdness. **

_Thanks again to my faithful reviewers NcsGirl, ZilentZombie, DarktheDestroyer and Xx-Disturbed-xX, your constant support and enthusiasm for what I do spurs me on a lot!_

Also many, many thanks to Oracles Maiden for helping out a desperate friend in need, she helped me out of a huge jam and backlog when I was let down by the ever faithful, yet slightly unreliable Red Haired She Devil. Thanks also go to Red Haired She Devil for giving it a go and for the brilliant bouts of inspiration she gives me! Red Haired She devil when (or if you read this) please, please carry on with that Chapter you showed me, I was in hysterics just don't lose your focus (note to Oracles Maiden remove all sharp, pointy or shiny objects from the near vicinity). Many thanks and kudos to you all!

**Author recommendations: Check out ZilentZombies Bobby Drake serious they are absolutely hilarious, they have fab pranks and brilliant consequences!! Trust me I was gasping for air after reading them, they are fabtabulous! Go read one after you've read this…**

**Also I really recommend NcsGirls Children of the X story coupled with her Xmen revisited one they are highly addictive! So go read em!**

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**Retribution X: The End?**

I leant back against the door frame and exhaled. I couldn't take it in, I just couldn't! My whole body felt like lead. I needed time to get my head around this before I told the others. I'd decided to wait until the academy's 'recruitment' day to tell the other member's of my team I thought as I walked to the paddock where the school's horses were kept (including my own).

I climbed up on the gate and I was reminded of my last visit home to England where I had on the hill by my house and watched the sun descend upon the river, and thought, for hour and hour's I thought, I grew up, I found myself.

I found it strange to think back on that hard time on my life probably one of my defining moments, survive, grow be strong, or whither up and die in everyway a human can die without actually ceasing to exist. But now things were different I was sure, for the first time in my life, I knew who I was, were I had come from and where I was going. But in the space of 2 hours everything had changed again I was in turmoil, the very fabrication of my being was now different to me some how, alien.

I felt bruised inside; she had lied to me for so long, all my life in fact, why? To protect me? How many of the others knew of this secret? Was they all in on it? How would the others react? All these questions were undefined to me as I sat in the last of the sun's golden glow. Suddenly my future was so unsure.

**Recruitment Day**

I don't know what I was more worried about, the new mutant's that would now be coming up through the ranks and joining our team or the exposure of this new twist to complicate our lives!

"Ground control to Major Tom!" Jubes waved in front of my face "Helllooo!"

I snapped my attention out of my reverie, well if that's what you would call it my thoughts were not of a pleasant nature.

"Sorry!" I muttered sipping my coffee, trying to push down the sick feeling in my stomach "What were you saying?"

"The Professor gave you a list of the people that we're keeping an eye on for our new member's right?"

"Yes" I got up and routed about in the odds and ends draw before waving a crumpled piece of paper aloft 

"Who's on it then?" Evelyn asked licking donut glaze off of her fingers 

"Mmm…well there's the one known only as Bounce, we all know her, um…" I peered at the sheet trying to make out Xavier's cryptic scrawl "…a guy from England, Tristan Davies, codenamed Pitfall, we've never met him before but I believe he got our number from Excalibur reminants. We also have that cow Sally Henderson, known to us as Virago; she's been in Rogues class for the last few years. There's another guy called Richard Levis, he's known as Vermiform among his class mates. Others may turn up as well but those are the one's Xavier's been watching and thinks has a firm enough grip on their powers to join us" 

"Why do we need new people? Ain't we good enough anymore?" Kat asked sadly

"Think about it Kat we're getting harder missions nowadays and all these other mutants need a team to join right? And we're the only ones who _need _some more back up!" I looked at her none of them seemed convinced "I know it will be hard, it always just been us gals but think about it this way it is now less likely that we will get injured during a mission!" I tried a joke but it fell flat.

Jubilee had that I'm about to whinge glint in her eye

"Why do we have to have guys in the team, we're female superheroes…." We looked at her "…oh and Wolvie!"

"So how much fresh blood have we got to recruit?" Ev asked

"Three minimum." Everyone looked sad

"It's the end of an era!" Jubes sighed heavy heartedly

Truth is none of us were happy about these proposed plans to extend Retribution X, why fix something that isn't broken? Problem is I knew why this was happening, and I was less happy about it then I was showing.

"Come on gal's chin up and let's give these guys a warm Retribution X welcome!" I said putting my cup in the sink

**The opening of the doors**

Kat was on welcome duty it seemed the safest thing for her to do, there wasn't much scope for disaster there…but then again this is Kat that we're talking about!

Ev and Jubes were on tour duty and helping out the general new student side of stuff.

Mel was preparing the danger room so we could see the prospective new recruits in action.

Me, I was running around like a blue arsed fly trying to sort out these new peoples paper work, there interviews and putting them through there paces in the danger room.

Where's Wolverine while all this is going on you might ask, well he's done one of his flits back to Canada and we weren't expecting him back any time soon, which was kind of sad because when he came back the team would be changed forever. And so it was with a heavy heart I carried out the tasks of the day.

**Interview 1**

"Hi there, please take a seat" I indicated at the chair. "Richard is it?"

The guy nodded running a hand through his short black hair, he had a very serious face and had to be at least 4 years older then me, I was surprised he'd been kept in the classroom but then again his note said something to the effect of him being a late developer.

I went through the mutant number (this only applies if they are registered), date of birth and all that formal gumph before getting down to the good stuff.

"Okay so how would _you describe your mutant ability?" I knew what it said on the piece of paper the Prof had given me but he always explained stuff all wrong and with long words, that no sane person (exception of Mel, Beast and Evelyn) could understand._

"Well basically as my codename implies I can take the form of….a worm. Lame I know!" The kid scratched his head with an apologetic grin

"Not at all! So how can you actually use your power to the benefit of the team?" I asked trying not to giggle

"Well I can stretch to a maximum length of 20 metres and I can get chopped up while in this form without dying as long as my head end remains intact I'll be fine" He said it all so matter of factly that his power wasn't as funny as it had first seemed.

"Okay" I was trying to keep these interviews quick then we could get down to the danger room session "Right if you wouldn't mind being at the danger room for about 2 hours time that would be great!" I stood up "I'm sure Jubes or Ev will give you a grand tour, just find them and tell them to do their job or…" I trailed of god this guy had no sense of humour!

**Interview 2**

The next guy seemed like a good prospect, he was the complete opposite to Vermiform, he was funny, upbeat and although older (he was 21) he seemed to be fine with taking orders from someone not only shorter than him, younger than him but gasp! Horror! _Female._

"So Tristan it says your known as Pitfall, is that due to your power?" 

His green eyes smiled playfully "Mmmm…you could say that!"

"Are you going to tell me what your powers are, old man!" I teased "Or do I have to speak up!"

He smiled an uneven but sparkly white smile "It's kind of hard to explain! You see I can make people like fall through objects, mostly the floor and I can do it myself like that charming girl that was in Excalibur: Kitty. But I mostly use it against others; it's kind of funny when you stick them in the ground with only their head stuck out! But you do have to be really careful not to release them when their in the ground because they kind of…" he blushed "…get crushed because the particles…"

"Okay I'm a dumb when it comes to all that sciency stuff so spare me the explanation!" I rolled my eyes, I felt so easy with this guy, he definitely seemed like a ladies man though, Remy might get jealous!

"Great well I'll see you in the err…danger room later then!" He got up with a grin and held out his hand which I shook

"Yep I'll see you later" I grinned back, I would defy anyone not to like this guy (Wolverine probably wouldn't on second thoughts!)

**Interview 3**

"Hey ya Bounce long time no see! Where you been hiding yourself!"

Bounce smiled that ever ready smile "Me I've been working hard with Mr Summers to try and get promoted!"

"We'll have to see won't we and by the way if you get promoted it will no longer be Mr Summers…" I looked at the bubbly girl of Kats age seriously "…It's Dickhead okay!"

"Aye Aye Captain!" Bounce mock saluted

I just had a general chat with Bounce us Retribution Xers had known her quite while, she was in the same class as us in our first year before Wolverine had become our form tutor.

Bounce, her leg muscles were so strong and well defined that she could jump to heights of 20 metres from a stand still. She could kill some one with just kick, it was amazing! She was such a bright bubbly personality that she lived up to her name Bounce she was always full of it. Even her dark brown hair was coiled into bouncy ringlets.

I had a good feeling about Bounce she would be an excellent addition to the team, in fact we had expected her to have been in the team when it was formed, but she still had issues about controlling the power she applied to her kicks/jumps, she wasn't very good a judge as to how much power certain manoeuvres needed. Mind you I was like that when I came here, I had trouble controlling the voltage I emitted from my body and always applied to much to a bolt aimed to 'stun'.

If only I could feel a little happier about my next interviewee!

**Interview 4**

I looked at Sally suspiciously she had always been in the rival class to Retribution X, we didn't like her and often dubbed her and her classmates 'the tarts', why she wanted to join us was beyond me!

"Sally" I nodded curtly maybe even stiffly.

Sally was known as Virago due to her super strength (a power I have always envied!)

"Ashley" she nodded back equally as crisply

"What brings _you here?" I couldn't help keep the bitterness out of my voice_

"I'm fed up of being in the kiddie class and Rogue agrees its time I moved up!" She stuck her chin out defiantly

I glared at her and began to think of ways to torture her in the danger room session.

**The danger mile…sorry room**

I watched the newbies closely, barking orders at them to see how well they followed them and watching to see how well they worked as a team. Mel was up in the control room ready to shut down the simulation at the first time of trouble and also preparing herself to shield them in a force field. 

I watched critically: Bounce was working well as I had expected, Vermiform was having a little trouble following orders and unsurprisingly Virago was trying to take over. I watched as Pitfall saved Vermiform's back by dropping him through the floor and then pooping him back up again, he then phased through some of the robots shorting them out. Pitfall I decided was definitely going to be one of the new team members he seemed to have total control over his powers and was a good team player, unlike Virago.

I signalled Mel for the end of the simulation "Okay guys that was just to get an idea of how you work within team now we're going to do some individual exercises and see how long you can last without me or Mel bailing you out, the current Retribution X record is an hour but don't worry we expect those of you who haven't undergone this kind of training at this higher level to last that long! Each simulation is specifically catered for your powers!" I paused and looked round the room "Okay who wants to go first?"

Virago confidently walked into the danger room 

"Okay you time starts now!"

I watched as she ducked and dived and broke the various enemies that faced her. She was quite impressive really much as I disliked her, I jumped quickly. Zzzzzz Crash

"Okay that was just over a minute, very impressive just remembers to keep watching around you, remember you should never forget the danger an enemy poses once you've gone past them, and remember you are unshielded from behind!"

Sally looked angry that I of all people had had to bail her out.

Pitfall was next up and he went for the all out offensive style favoured by myself. This guy was really good; he must have done something like this before he did everything so gracefully and swiftly with the seemingly minimum amount of effort. He lasted for a total of 15 minutes before he began to get sloppy.

Vermiform was the most entertaining to watch as he wrapped his self around mechanical arms in the manner of a boa constrictor, and then stretched himself to reach hooks so he could swing along the ceiling before dropping and landing in his human form, he really was fascinating to watch but I felt he would probably need encouragement and some private tutor ledge in order to get the most out of his powers. He lasted for 3 minutes and looked absolutely knackered.

Bounces turn was nothing new to me I knew what she was capable of and she reacted well to the dangers around her and prioritised them in dangerousness, she was quick and nimble and something about her style reminded me of Hank. She too lasted just over 3 minutes.

**Later that evening**

The 'recruitment' day was over and the team had decided unanimously that the new members should be Bounce (no surprise there), Vermiform (even though Kat thought he was, and I quote 'icky'), and Pitfall.

Now it was the part I wasn't looking forward too, I called a meeting in the kitchen and called Kat and Mel into the study.

I sat on the edge of my desk and sighed.

"What's wrong Ash?" Mel asked brow knitted

"Is it because I set fire to that lady?" Kat asked (putting her on door duty wasn't as good an idea as it had first appeared!) 

"No, but there's something that it is my sad duty to inform you, I only wish that it wasn't me but you really need to know…."

**In the kitchen**

"Ash what the hell's going on? We never have proper meetings like this where you drag people in to the study?" Jubes asked getting up as she looked at Mel's pale drawn face, and Kat too, looked dazed.

"Jubes sit down there's something I think that we have to explain to you" I said seriously "Today as you know we were recruiting new members for the team, unfortunately that is not all these new people are…" I paused and licked my lips with my dry tongue

"Yes" Ev prompted confusion all over her face

"Today we were not only recruiting new members for the team…" I began again, damn why was this so hard? "…but we were recruiting our new replacements!"

**Ok the end of chapter 1, so what did you think?? My muse wants answers and he wants them now…or he'll…er…shoot you with this potato gun he points potato gun at you and mutters in german about looking ridiculous **

**Me: Don't worry, that Stetson looks adorable…besides if you don't like it, I'll give it to my new but not improved muse that should be arriving mail order any time now.**

**Kurt: Mumbles in German**

**Me: Whaps him with Jane Eyre Don't be rude at least speak in a language we all understand**

**Kurt Bamphs off in a huff**

**Don't worry he'll be back after all I hold the biscuit strings in this house!!**

**So don't sit their rolling your eyes at me REVIEW!! **


	2. The phrophesy

**Hello, it's a shorter chapter this time!! Hey, don't look so realived!!**

The shocked look on Jubilees face would have made me laugh but now wasn't the time to laugh

"Ummm…I'm sorry I don't quite follow you" Evelyn looked worried

"Kat, me and Mel…well we are no longer going to be part of the team"

"Why not? Are you deserting us and joining the X-men?" 

"No we would never betray you like that…but some information has come to light concerning our origins and these two's real parents and we have to go on indefinite leave"

"I don't understand" Jubilee stammered

"Look Jubes please don't make me explain it now, let's just go to bed and sleep on this and I'll explain the in's and out's of this in the morning"

Jubilee looked defiant "For god sake Ash don't you dare molly coddle us we are your team mates or at least we were, we're a family don't you dare treat us like we don't matter…" her voice was raising "…we are losing 3 of the most important people in our lives who we have stuck by through thick and thin, I think you owe us some kid of explanation!"

I looked at Kat who was beginning to cry silently and then at Mel who too was near to tears who nodded consent for me to tell them everything.

I sighed "Your right we owe you this. I don't know if you remember the other day when I was summoned to Xavier, well my mother was there, and she and the Professor told me that…I still can't believe it myself…we aren't from around here…"

"What Ash means to say is that we come from a cluster of planet's in a different galaxy" Mel came to my aid I smiled thanks at her

"You see the thing is we aren't really mutants at all, we're just umm…" I groped for the right words "…aliens."

This caused Kat to break down completely and sob.

I sighed before continuing "There's a legend in my home planet Linslee but I really will have to tell you about that later because I really haven't read up on it, my mums given us each a copy of the lore of our homelands, all I know is that we were brought to the earth to protect both the others who inhibit our planets and ourselves" I massaged my now throbbing forehead.

Kat ran from the room, Evelyn got up to follow her

"Leave her she'll come around to the idea" I said holding her back, I knew Kat better then anyone, she was my best friend, hell she was my sister (only not in blood), she had spent every holiday that we'd ever had away from the mansion in England with me and my mum. I knew that despite appearances Kat really was versatile, she would adapt. Kat was also stronger than she seemed, probably then she even knew, she was born a survivor she been through worse then this but hell, that isn't for this story! Really Kat would probably amaze you, although she lives under the pretence of being childlike and venerable, she was in fact incredibly deep and sensitive. 

I looked over at Mel trying to gauge how she was taking the news, she seemed to be taking it better than I thought she would, okay tears were still running in salty streams down her face but there had been no denials or tantrums (she too would probably surprise you, she was not always as composed as she seemed!).

"I think…" She sniffed wiping away the tears off of her high (and highly annoying to those who didn't look that good) cheek bones "…I'm going to see Kurt, don't wait up!"

"As if we would!" I said cheekily in a bid to get the old atmosphere back into our little wing, stuck like Frankenstein's monster onto Xavier's mansion.

"I'm going to bed" I said getting up slowly "it's been a long day! I'll see you in the morning and try to answer any questions that you might have"

I walked up the stairs and silently fumed to myself about Wolverines absence. He always did this, I wouldn't be surprise if he hadn't known what was coming and left before any kind of support was needed of him! Hell, Mel really looked up to that guy, she adored him like she did her adoptive father and even Kat although she gave the impression of being terrified by him in fact had a degree of respect for him and was always trying to get his applause and acknowledgement. I felt immediately bad for having these thoughts; after all he had really helped me out in the past when I had needed him. 

I walked into my room and picked up the shabby, musty smelling leather bound book which my mother had given me as a way to read up on all the stuff she had no time to tell me.

I sat on my bed and threw the heavy book down, it fell open at what seemed to be the most frequently used page. It read:

_The twilight planet, Linslee was plunged into an all consuming blackness and so the three with desire, innocence and courage rode forth to Teasel to banish them who had brought their Galaxy into the dark. Using the power of the sky's the evil was sealed into the darkness only to emerge on the day that Aceldama  is once again made to live up to its namesake. By using the great power within them desire, innocence and courage banished the source of the evil, only desire and innocence returned, and upon them a curse was placed that their talents would only be bestowed upon their female offspring (females being the weaker sex).Courage's mighty blade was found at Aceldama, and taken to a safe place where it would wait until it's owner returned only courage never showed. So with the land returned to light, desire and innocence disappeared only to return to the cherished land on the day evil once again breaks lose. It has been prophesised by Horrell that on the day evil's leader returns to the dark that courage will return and once again return to save the galaxy and its occupants. Innocence known also as hope has been made a protector of the planet Kelspa. Desire, known under the alias's of Knowledge and Aegis a pivotal figure within Cadmus mythology and is said to have come to the aid of the troubled planet in times of need but it is for desires role in the banishment of evil that desire will evermore be thought of as a saviour. Courage often associated with honour and friendship, adopted into the people of Linslee's heart as a god is said to fill the heart of many a warrior riding into battle or everyday folk in times of need.  In Linsarian folklore Courage is said to have been a product of the sky but has now entered within the abodes of people throughout the land. _

_It is only when such events and power are forgotten passed down through the generations changing from truth, to legend, to myth that guards will be let down and prophesies will be fulfilled and seals broken._

I looked at the page, it was very strange, and I didn't know what to make of it. I furrowed my brow, as I thought about ringing my mum to get her to explain, but she was coming tomorrow to explain all this….stuff to us tomorrow I would just have to wait.

**The next morning**

I sat and looked at my mum sceptically "So your telling me that this land has once again been taken over by evil and you expect us to go live there!" I was astonished my mum could say something so well…stupid, she must have developed a mental illness since the last time I had seen her.

"Yes! That is exactly what I'm saying, come on Ash haven't you worked it out yet?" She looked at me in that infuriating way only my mum knew how to.

I sat and thought replaying the page of the book I had read last night _"desire, innocence and courage" it had said the saviour's were, desire had been known under the alias of Aegis. The cogs slowly turned in my head and Aegis meant shield of Zeus or Athena but it meant something else is well, something that was hiding in the darkened corner of useless stuff that I knew but I couldn't quite coax it out. Suddenly it hit me, nearly knocking me off of my chair. Aegis meant impregnable defence._

"It's Mel isn't it?"

My mum smiled letting me know that I was suddenly twigging

"What's me?" Mel asked dark circles under her eyes

"One of the saviours of that galaxy was known as desire, Aegis and Knowledge. Your greatest attribute is that you're brainy right? And your power is that you can show people their greatest desires and you can wrap people in an unbreakable force field! Your one of the saviours!" I said excitedly.

"Don't be stupid!" Mel scoffed

"Melody what Ashley says is the truth, you, all three of you have the same powers as the saviours which is why you was transported to earth in the first place!" Mum really was going mad "Kat, your innocence and Ash your Courage!"

Kat clapped "Yay! I'm innocence!"

"I'm not sure I'm buying this" I protested

"I knew it" Mel said quietly almost inaudibly

"Knew what?" I asked snapping my head round to her

"I knew I wasn't from this planet, I don't know how, I just did, but I had always put it down to being a mutant but now I know I believe your mum" She spoke softly but fluently

"So do I!" Kat put in

I thought about it and realised that I too believed what my mother was telling me. "So what will we have to do?"

My mum smiled appreciatively "Well a portal will appear and you will have to follow this map, until your path branches into 3, then you will have to split up. Prophesy says that Aegis will take the mountainous region, Innocence will reclaim the frozen pureness of the tundra and courage will head through the fiery desert and the lush forest. You will then meet up at the end of your chosen paths and where there will be a portal for you to return to earth if you feel that you are not up to the final battle at the castle of Teasel"

"And if we come back to earth?" I asked tentatively

"Well the galaxy will be plunged in to an overwhelming all consuming blackness, the treks that lead you each to teasel will help raise your awareness of what you will have to do as there will be many foes you shall have to conquer."

"So when do we have to leave?" Mel asked quietly.

"You need to go there and go there as soon as you can, if you're still having doubt Ashley speak to Professor Xavier he can back all this up with my memories but you need to do so quickly. The portal for your departure will open in 2 days and you must say you're goodbyes because I don't know when you will ever see your friends again" My mum got up and threw the remnants of her mug into the sink

'Or _if we'll ever see them again!' I added silently_

That night something played on my mind, obstructing sleep.

**If you are reading this then you need to review, we wont have any of this "But I forgot" rubbish thank you very much!!**


	3. Goodbye

**Mels**** POV written by Oracles Maiden and a damn good job she did too!! Remember show her your appreciation by reviewing!!**

**2 days later- departure time!**

"Hey…" I slowly called from the doorway to Kurt's bathroom. The sound of running water had let me know where he was. He was doubled over the sink splashing water onto his face.

At the sound of my voice he looked up into the mirror to see me reflected. I however couldn't bring myself to look in the mirror, what did it show anyway? A shell of a girl that I'd once known… that now was… Alien. 

"Melody…" He quietly moaned, reaching for a towel beside him. "I did not expect to…"

"You didn't think you'd see me until it was time for me to go."

"You still have time left before your departure…" He did up his loose collar. He was wearing a shirt and waistcoat, and a pair of Black suit trousers that I myself had altered so that his tail could emerge from the back. It seemed a life time since I last held a needle and thread… would I ever hold a needle and thread again?

There were so many questions, questions I wouldn't know the answer to before I was there, before I couldn't change my mind.

"Why are you wearing that?" I asked. He blushed and tilted his head away.

"You always said you wanted a prince charming… I was going to give you a prince."

"Don't say that." I said walking over, my eyes sore from the tears. "You are charming. If you weren't then I wouldn't love you."

"You are too kind." He said facing me, his yellow eyes just as bloodshot as mine. In his hands he held a gold tie limply, so I gently took it from him and started to tie it for him. He could balance on a trapeze and jump from tall post to tall post, he could wield a sabre like no other… yet he couldn't tie his own tie. 

I was going to miss tying his tie for him.

I shouldn't have thought that, because now I was having trouble doing the job.

He gently reached up and took my shaking hands, pulling them from the half tied knot.

"Melody, I will always love you."

I half laughed, half cried, "You sound like that bloody bodyguard theme song. What you are going to say next, everything I do I do it for you?"

He didn't laugh, didn't even smile.

"I always will."

I cried. "I will too." And I lay my head against his chest, letting myself hear his heart for the last time.

No, not the last time… it couldn't be the last time… it wasn't fair. This wasn't fair… why did fate always have to put her two cents in, why did destiny have to throw in her hand. Why couldn't the universe get on with its own business and leave them alone. Why them and why now… why not before the academy, why not before I had met Kurt, Why not before I'd fallen in love with him, why not anytime but now. 

But why's and why not's couldn't change anything. 

"But you have to promise me something…" I said finally, pulling my head away from his heart. "If while I'm gone you find someone else… if you fall in love with someone just as much or more then me. Promise me you won't let her get away just because you're waiting for me." I sniffed then looked up.

Kurt's face had fallen even further. I hadn't told him what Ash had told me. That it was likely that we wouldn't return… at least not in the lifetime of the X men. I hadn't wanted to hurt him… and I didn't want him to spend the rest of his life ignoring his feelings for other women, and I didn't want him to feel guilty when he fell in love with someone other than me. 

"You are not coming back… are you?" He barely whispered. 

I lowered my head even more, tears running slowly over my nose and down onto my lips.

I opened my mouth but the words had difficulty coming out, they stumbled on my teeth and my vocal cords shook… what was meant to sound like a an upbeat comment now sounded like complete and utter despair. "I don't know."

Kurt wrapped his arms around me and I felt the patter of a teardrop on my bare shoulder, he pulled me so tight that I knew he wasn't willingly going to let me go.

"I don't want you to go…" He cried and it made my lip shake to hear him in so much pain.

"I don't want to go… but I have to." I replied, surprising myself at the amount of pain in my own voice "I have to go. I have to." I repeated. And to tell you the truth I didn't know why I had to… something was going on in some far away place and I was a part of it even though I had no idea what I was meant to do. 

Help, you are meant to help Mel. Help people who need it. It was what you were born to do. 

But was I born to help some planet that I couldn't remember?

It was prophesy, you were born to help these people.

It might not even be me they're talking about. Hank's smart, it could be him, the professor… hell it could be Ev, she had more smarts than people gave her credit for. 

"I know." Kurt said giving me another squeeze before kissing my hair. "But I wish you didn't have to."

I let out a tearful sigh. "Do you think I want to? I want to stay here with you. I want to stay in this mansion and fight holographic monsters… I want to get beaten black and blue every morning by Wolverine, I want to get drunk with the girls and put ink in Scott's shower. I want to wake up in the morning with you."

"I want that too."

"But because of some book that was written centuries ago I can't do that and it's not fair…"

"I know it isn't. But you must do what you were born to do." Kurt's voice seemed a little lighter, I looked up but he was still crying and I didn't think he was going to stop. "I have always known you were a hero and a goddess and now these people have made you one. It seems as though I was right."

"I'm no goddess." I scoffed. "I'm a false idol."

"Then God send me straight to hell." He kissed me like the night we had first kissed, with as much passion and longing, but it was tinged with sadness. This was our last kiss. Maybe for a little while… more likely forever. A kiss of true love mingled with the taste and smell of tears. A kiss that would stay in my memory and remain stained on my lips forever. 

Finally we parted with a sob from me and he pulled a little away. 

"I have something for you." He smiled sadly. And moved off into his bedroom, gently I followed and watched as he searched through one of his bedside draws until he came across what he was looking for and quickly palmed it. 

"Melody…" He breathed again walking back to me in the doorway, holding out his open palm. I looked down into it and saw shimmering against his blue fur a white chain and a white cross with a sparkling diamond at its intersection. It was beautiful. 

"I was waiting for you're birthday. But I may not…" He stopped shaking his head, not able to continue. 

I took the chain carefully from his paw and put it on smoothing the white gold against my skin and letting the diamond catch the light. Then my fingers moved from the warm metal of the cross to the freezing metal of my tags. And suddenly I realised I had nothing to give. 

"Here." I said pulling my dog tags over my head and offering them to Kurt. He looked at them lying in my hands shining. 

"I can not take your tags." I sadly smiled and his selflessness. 

"I want you to have something of me. These tags are useless now because I'm not in Retribution X anymore, I'm not Tantalus anymore I'm Aegis. These tags have no purpose." I said pouring them into his hand and closing his fingers around them. 

"But they are your only link to Retribution. To your friends… to Wolverine"

I smiled, Kurt had told me one night while sitting on the roof of the academy that he believed that I had a crush on Wolvie, and he thought that if I offered myself to Wolverine then he would take me whole, and leave me tainted. 

I had laughed at the absurdity of the comment… and now I realised that I had been so busy laughing that I hadn't told him… how I felt.

"Wolverine is a father to me, he's shown me things about my power that no one ever could have, and I owe him everything. I do love him its true; I love him like a father, like a big brother like a friend. But I don't LOVE him. I only have ever loved you. In every meaning of the word."

Kurt looked up, his eyes sparkling- sadness was for a brief second replaced with joy but then was eclipsed once more by the sadness. 

"Wolverine gave us all these because he cared for us… now I'm giving them to the man who I care for to look after them. See... whenever I loose them I always have a way of finding my way back to them. I'm thinking the same logic might work if I give them to someone… that at some point I'll find my way back to the man who's wearing them."

"But your friends…" He breathed, looking down at them in his hand. 

"My friends will always be with me, I have Kat and Ash to help me remember them, we'll always be thinking of them every time we see some people making an ass of themselves we'll remember. And you and Wolverine are what will help keep our memory alive here. But for that you have to have something to remember me by."

"I'll never forget you Melody."

"I know… I just want to make sure." I smiled as much as I could.

Kurt copied me and pulled the tags around his neck, letting them fall beside his half undone tie. 

I just looked at him for a few more seconds… wishing that I didn't have to say what I was going to have to next.

"Its time for me to go." I choked. 

Kurt took in a huge breath, squared up his shoulders and let it out. "Well then hadn't we better get going?" He moved towards the door but I remained rooted to the spot. 

"I don't want you to go." I breathed…

"What?"

"I said I don't want you to come and watch me go through that portal. I don't think I'll be able to go through it if you're there… I'm not strong enough for that."

Kurt looked at me like I had ripped his heart out… then slowly backed away from the door.

I started to walk out and down the corridor when I heard a voice behind me call. 

"Melody you gave me something other than your tags… You gave me your heart. And you'll always have mine… remember that Melly… Remember I love you!" I turned a corner out of ear shot of him… than then I crumpled to the floor in tears. 

I looked around our wing of the mansion, for the last time in who knows how long. I thought back on myself and my faults: sarcasm, intolerance of others and their faults and above all else Jealousy (should I mention I have a small tendency to deceive?). It will be funny that when (or if, but I shouldn't think that way) we come back from whatever god forsaken hole we were going to, our wing will have been extended and full of fresh new faces and new voices and views.

I don't know how the others felt but I sure as hell felt deceitful for leaving without saying goodbye to Wolverine, but damn it he should have been here! I sighed making myself angry was getting me nowhere; I began to trudge the long weary way to the woods where the intergalactic portal would be opened. As I made my way down the hallway I was aware of Mel saying her goodbyes to Kurt, making him promise not to come and see her go! It so stupid but I felt an eternal darkness plunge in to my soul and something else. Was I jealous of Mel? Yes, I was incredibly jealous of Mel.

Me and Mel stood by the portal, looking at the mansion for one last time.

"Keep safe okay! You gal's are the closest we've got to sisters and it would be a shame never to see you again!" Jubilee said trying to keep a brave face.

"I really wish you weren't going on your own" Ev added sadly

I looked over to where Kat was clinging on to Bobby, she was sobbing.

"I don't wanna go!" She was wailing as he gently kissed her forehead

"I know!" He said softly letting go of her 

"I'll see you soon right?"

"You can count on it!"

I looked over at the girls and nodded, indicating that it was time to leave.

Suddenly our futures seemed less sure, more scary but somehow more exciting. And so we steeped into the darkness of the portal, or else the light?

**Remember it isn't Reviewing that is a sin it is forgetting to do so that is!!**


	4. Introspection

**On the other side**

We stepped out, unsure of ourselves, we looked cautiously around us. All of a sudden we didn't feel very confident. Ashley Donovan felt as far removed from her fearless leader status as is humanly possible instead returning to the shy, introverted freak that had entered the mansion, which to me at that precise moment felt like millenniums ago.

Crash

Kat jumped clutching onto my arm "I don't like this!" She whimpered 

On my left I felt Mel begin to tremble with fear.

I stood up straight determined to be strong for my team mates, my friends, hell my _family when inside I was a plate of jelly who wanted to curl up in a ball and wait for mummy!_

I turned around quickly, shocked at what I saw

"Fancy seeing you here!" Came Jubilees perky voice

"What the hell do you think you're doing here? It's too bloody dangerous!" My fright had made me angry for being so weak.

"It don't look to hostile!" Jubes said looking at the green foliage surrounding us.

"Besides you didn't think we'd let you have all the fun!" Ev said with an apprehensive grin

I sighed before smiling; god was I glad to see them! If only I was good at saying thank you, why am I so pathetic that I can not share my emotions?

"Thanks a lot you guy's! You know you didn't have to but it means a lot that you chose to!" Mel expressed my thoughts in her easy eloquent manner.

Mel, Kat, Jubes and Ev had a group hug; I stood back feeling uncomfortable and uneasy. Kat looked at me and with perception uncanny for _her _she grabbed my sleeve and pulled me to the group. It felt strange to be hugged, I hadn't been hugged since…well since I was little and my mum used to hug me. It felt good, I drank in what ever solace, comfort and courage I could from them as I was sure they was doing as well.

"Is this a private party or can anyone joins?"

We all looked up at the sound of the familiar voice.

Jubilees face was the first to break into a smile and hurled herself at the body shrouded in shadow.

"Wolverine!"

"What the hell ya doin' here?" He asked

"More to the point what are you doing here?" Mel asked

"I came home no one was about I followed my nose and saw the twins eya come through the portal an' I thought I'd see that they weren't getting into mischief"

"Goody!" Kat hurled herself at the man she had previously been scared of "Will you take us home!"

"Kat stop it! He can't take us home we're here for a reason!" I began walking finding courage in the expanded group, I knew that everything was going to be fine!

Crash, Splat

I turned around 

"BOBBY!" Kat squealed as she hurled herself at him, she then began taunting Mel "My boyfriends come to save me! Has yours! NO! Mine loves me yours don't, mine loves me yours don't!"

Hell this was just like old times

"One last mission as just the 5 of us right!" Ev said before remembering Wolverine who was glowering "Okay 6 of us…" It was Bobby's turn to pout now "I give up!" Ev threw her hands in the air.

"So who's gonna tell me what's goin' on?" He thought for a moment "An' where we are?"

**Nightfall**

We had walked for over 6 hours and had stopped only now as the eerie pitch blackness that shrouded us had prevented us from seeing the path ahead. Jubilee, Evelyn, Kat and Bobby were all sleeping, I sat staring at the fire deep in thought. Why was I courage when I held so much fear in my heart? A fear so dark and deep it left me feeling hollow. I knew why I was scared, I had told Mel and Kat that we may not ever go back to earth as a way to prepare them for the worst, but it seemed that I had picked up on something that they hadn't, I knew that one of us would never return and I knew who that person was….it was…

"What are you thinking about?" Mel asked looking through the flames at me

I snapped from my thoughts and noticed that my hand was curled around my dog tags.

I sighed "Nothing important" 

Mel looked like she needed to talk and I looked around to see if there was someone up who was good at the whole comforting, sympathetic thing, I sighed again, Wolverine was the only other person still awake. At this moment Wolverine slid off of one of the logs we had dragged around the edge of the fire and began busying himself by collecting more wood for the fire, he seemed to know that Mel needed to talk and thought that I would oblige. I really didn't want the burden of her feelings on me too, I was having enough problem trying to decipher my own emotions, is that wrong? But she was my friend so I asked

"You?"

"I'm thinking about _home _you know earth" I nodded "Particularly my childhood with my adoptive parents and how happy I was, I have never been that happy again then I found out I was a mutant and I had to go to Xavier's and it ruined everything, I've never been as close to them since, not because I'm a mutant but because I have changed, I changed without them. I guess I'm kind of hoping that that isn't going to happen between me and Kurt"

I look around, should I tell her what I think? Or should I tell her what she wants to hear? I wish I wasn't in this situation, if I could change myself somehow I would make myself more in touch with my emotions and the emotions of others, more willing and able to talk to others. 

I sighed, uncomfortable before starting falteringly "The way I see it is…well that we will never be the same we were before again….um…just like we are not the same as we were yesterday or the day before that, each day changes us, but I think….no I know…that Kurt and you, your together and he'll stand by you no matter how you change he will still feel the same about you….well unless you become a mass murderer in the manner of jack the ripper!" God did I feel like an idiot? I never, I repeat _never_, want to be in that position again!

Mel got up, to make her way to the 'sleeping' area "Thanks Ash! That is more comfort then you will ever know!" 

Okay so not the reaction I expected I usually got laughed at when I tried to be deep and philosophical. But I thought back to what Mel said and understood on a small level what she was feeling absence/separation and death are not as different as you would think only there is no suffering in death. 

 I knew sleep would be futile so I sat on watch comforted by Wolverines bulk moving about behind me, comforted by the familiar smell of his cigars in a world where even rain smelt different, it smelt some how sweeter, unaffected by pollution.

I went back to staring into the burning fire worrying about how Mel and Kat were going to cope, what they felt about it all and made a silent oath that like it or not I would be there for them when ever they needed me (well unless they need a hug or something). I thought about how much they had given up to come here, their team, their lives, their homes, their loves everything. Now I had Jubes, Ev and Bobby too worry about too, how would they cope being involved in a huge conflict that had nothing to do with them? I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders. Hell, Linsarian nights were cold I thought with a shudder.

I felt Wolverine sit down beside me "What you thinkin' bout short stuff?" 

I smiled I was only about an inch shorter then him. Should I tell him? But before I could stop myself I began telling him about all the support the others would need, how hard it was for them before he interrupted me

"What about you? How do you feel?" 

That was the first time anyone had asked me that, it had always been how's Mel coping? Is Kat okay with this? Hell, I had forgotten about myself and how I felt about the situation, no one had asked so I assumed that it wasn't important. I was their leader, I held them together, I was fearless, I had no thoughts and emotions outside of the welfare of my team right? Wrong! I felt so….I don't know

"No ones ever asked me that before!" I told him softly "I guess it doesn't matter anyway!"

I felt him stiffen next to me, and he growled in a way that I felt it convulse through his body next to mine. What had I said to make him angry? Did he smell an intruder?

"What?" I asked looking around

"Sometimes you can be so bloody stupid" He growled angrily "How can it not matter how you feel, it matters just as much as it matters how the others feel. You're in exactly the same boat as them!"

Now I was angry with him I stiffened "Why am I in the same boat as them? They all have people who they love and who love them and they had to leave them at home, I didn't have to leave anyone, hell, my mums out here already…somewhere" I glowered at him "Okay, I know Bobby came, but Ev's had to leave her family and Jubes has had to leave the only family she ever knew: the X-men. It was incredibly brave of them sacrificing there happiness for the lives of others!"

"It was brave of you too, don't you forget that you came knowing you are responsible for the lives of both the people of the planet but for you team…._friends too, which makes it that much harder, because you don't know the population but you know and love yer friends"_

"Still I didn't have to leave nothing, these guys made a hell of a sacrifice! Especially Ev, Jubes, Bobby and you, you have no connection to this place, so why should you give up your time, hell maybe even your life for the sake of this. Mel as well has given up her dreams and desires just when they are beginning to come true, it makes me seem stupid to feel anything"

"You are a human you can never feel stupid for feeling!"

"Like I said I am not qualified to have any feelings of sadness or regret because I have left nothing, they have left everything their stability, their roots, their love" 

"That doesn't make it any easier" He spoke so softly so sadly this was a side of him I'd never seen before "Besides ya were leaving me!" He said a corner of his mouth turned upwards

I shook my head "I don't know how you can joke, you have left everything that matters to you to follow us…okay you didn't know you were doing it…but if I was you I would get mad at someone like me moaning about having to do this when I have left nothing and you have left everything"

"_Everything?"___

"Yeah, you know the people you like…." I cast my eyes down to my feet not wanting to say it in case he got mad but dammit he was bugging me "…the woman you love"

"The woman I love" he repeated as if testing how it sounded

"Won't you be mad if you miss your opportunity with Jean because you came here?" I asked puzzled

"I doubt that will happen" he spoke quietly, now I'd made him something worse then angry….I'd made him sad

I shivered through the cold and once again clutched the blanket around me tighter; I jumped and had to forcibly stop myself from pulling away when Wolverine pulled me to him in order to keep me warm from his own warmth, I felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, I had a problem with intimacy with anyone especially with my teachers and anyone older then myself.

"Ya know Sparky, I came here because you girls mean the world to me, okay ya can all drive me up the wall but I wouldn't change you for all the geeks in Rogue's or Cyke's class even Kat. When I came through that portal I wasn't thinking of Jean and what I was leaving behind but about helping the people who need me and who I… in some strange way… have come to need"

Okay something was going on with him; did he know what I knew? Was he on drug's or was he just feeling charitable? 

Sat on the log in front of a blazing fire on a planet galaxies away from home, pulled close to the man who had been my only male figurehead I began to think about what I felt, I mean what I really felt not what I had showed to the others. I could taste the filth inside of me, and it needed to be cleansed, my soul needed to be cleansed, does anyone ever notice, or does anyone ever care when I die on the inside as I had been for the last year? Yes, I think my friends would have cared if only I had shown them what I was thinking, what I was _feeling. But that is something I will never be able to do, show my self, my true self. I've been lying to myself for so long, telling myself that everything has been fine, silence was my only comfort,  probably be forever my only comfort but I don't have to lie anymore…well at least to myself. I looked deep inside as the blurry emotions became razor sharp, but the thing is I don't think I liked my emotions, I stopped abruptly, causing me to physically jolt. Wolverine tightened his grip around me, but I no longer felt uncomfortable, I felt safe for the first time in…well ever. I thought about Wolverine…Logan…and how he had the capacity to surprise me more then anyone else in the world did, for someone who seemed to have a callused soul he could be extremely tender and caring, I'd seen him with Jubilee whenever she got sad, he'd huge her tight and just tell her to cry, this was an amazing quality, god knows that is how I would like to be but I'm not, I can't handle it when people cry, it (I'm ashamed to admit) made me mad, and well I could never make the first move to comfort. It had crept up on me so slowly I hadn't noticed it until it was consuming me, filling my heart, my brain, my lungs, this feeling of respect for the guy who had dealt with more shit in his life then anyone deserved and still had the time to help other people out in there times of need. This man could display a myriad of emotions I couldn't lay claim to, it was certainly awe inspiring. None of us had and probably never will meet a guy like Wolverine again. _

I sat and thought about the girls each of them had the ability to provoke envy within me, why couldn't I ever feel happy or safe in my own skin?

I stopped thinking then it hurt too much to think about me and my short fallings. 

**Reviews feed my poor lil' muse remember that!!**


	5. Seperation

**The next day**

We had gotten up at sunrise and began the weary trek to the spot where our paths would split, I had already decided which groups would take each route, I needed time alone so I would take the desert and the forest on my own, the others would split into teams of three. 

We walked silently, me up front a distance away from the others. Wolverine was with Jubilee as if to protect her from any trouble, Mel and Ev were walking alongside them both of their eyes cast upon the ground. Kat and Bobby were stumbling along at the rear their hands clasped together. I glanced over my shoulder at them Kat looked pale and drawn, I furrowed my brow.

I dumped my rucksack containing my personal belonging onto the rocky floor and pulled out the silver hipflask I had acquired sometime and chucked it at Kat who gulped its contents down greedily. Kat had already drunk her water for the day and had now drunk mine too, so I hoped there was some fresh water nearby. 

If I'm honest it was Ev's participation I worried about the most because if she used her powers she'd have to drink a lot of water to replace the amount she had used and with water not exactly appearing abundant around here, well it didn't bode well.

**Almost sunset**

We reached the brow of the hill and looked over towards where there was a log cabin. The very log cabin marked on the map as the place where we would stay until we were ready to go our separate ways.

We stood and looked at it with the sun descending behind it for what seemed like an age, I was the first to move sliding sideways down the deep gritty drop from the hill. I heard Mel's elegant footstep follow me before all the others came too.

I walked across the field ahead of the others wanting this whole thing to be over and done with, not just the meeting people at the cabin but the whole saving the world thing.

I stopped at the front door and waited for the others to catch up.

"You ready?" I asked the group around me who nodded solemnly

Mel stepped forward to knock on the door.

The door opened quickly none of us said anything; all of our mouth's hung open at the person who opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" I asked when I recovered

I looked at my mum, she shouldn't be here she should be in some safe place (if there was any) on the planet. 

"Come in then" She stood away from the door so we could enter the cabin which smelt heavily of pine and cigars.

If mum was surprised to see our stowaways then she hid it very well, the only expression she held was one of cheer. 

**2 hours later**

For the first time since we got to the planet we got a proper meal, and ample drink. Mel and Ev where talking in hushed voice by the log fire in the corner of the large room that served as kitchen, living and dining room. Kat and Bobby where sat holding each others hands silently while looking out of the window into the dark night sky. Wolverine had gone for a walk or something with Jubilee. I don't know where mum had gone but I sat by myself at the end of the large dark wood, it didn't look like the wood of earth ( I later learned it was in fact Malanci native to Linslee). As I sat I thought about the beautiful landscape of the planet: so far we had seen such lush green vegetation that it was easy to think of the land as an Eden or Utopia. I found it hard to believe that this world could be anything but vibrant and pure, but something had disturbed me as we had walked and that was the lack of human life, so far (excluding my mum) we had seen 3 people and they had been hurrying about there business. Something else I noticed was that with every hour the air became thicker, with what I don't know…perhaps with evil or maybe it was the natural climate of the place but somehow I got the feeling that we soon would, or was that just my overactive imagination talking again.

At that moment my mum called me, Mel and Kat and snapped me out of my reflections. We three followed her up to the roof that would serve as our sleeping area. She knelt down by an old dusty chest.

"This is the only place that we could keep these where no one would know where they were. It's safer like that; it stops the risk of them being damaged, destroyed or stolen." 

She pulled out what appeared to be three bundles wrapped in a course, damp smelling cloth. She handed a bundle to each of us we just sat on the floor and stared at them.

"Well open them then!" She spoke as one would to a child reluctant to open its Christmas presents.

We looked at each other and carefully unwrapped the contents of the bundle. 

My eyes grew wide as I looked at the beautiful and skilfully scabbard and hilt. The scabbard seemed to be made of a jewel similar in colour to azure yet as hard (maybe harder) then diamond, and had a metal similar in look to platinum woven through it in a pattern not dissimilar to the way forked lightening looks. The Hilt was of plain decoration being platinum and a material not unlike the scabbard in colour to give it grip. I pulled the sword from its sheath and marvelled at its brilliant, shining blade.

"It's made of a metal similar in properties as Wolverines Adamantium skeleton. It's a metal that was only found in the ancient times. These are the weapons the saviours used in battle" Mum said smiling at my expression of wonder.

I looked at Mel and Kat in order to behold the wonders which they had unwrapped.

Mel had in her hands a bow with the most ornate carvings of leaves and acorns all over it and with it was a quill made of leather that appeared to me from where I sat, enduring, sturdy and tough. The quill too had a pattern on it; the pattern on this featured the acorn and was accompanied by an exotic looking flower.

"That is called the Shinjugo plant; it is the national plant of Cadmus. It is said to be both the flower and seed of dreams" 

Mel looked at her bow with admiration.

Kat had a scythe; with a bone handle with a flame carved in that licked its way up the handle. Its blade was shiny like the blade of my sword, so shiny you could us it as a mirror. Kat was looking at it puzzled.

 "OH" Her face lit up momentarily before drooping again "I don't know how to use it!"

My mum smiled at her like she would smile at me (Kat was like a 2nd daughter to her!) "Don't worry you'll get a crash course on how to use them then you'll have to clear the path to teasel things are beginning to turn towards the worse. The minions of Grimmler, the head and very embodiment of evil, are heading ever closer to the main towns, so far they are habituating the wild areas of the desert, tundra, mountains and forest." She smiled at all of us "I think you should get some sleep"

As if we would after that!

**A week later**

During the week that we stayed at the log cabin the three of us under went one on one training sessions with experts while Wolverine helped the others prepare for our trip, well the best he could, truth is we really didn't know what to expect. So how could we really prepare. During the time when we weren't training we spent all our time together, just in case we would never see each other again although no one wanted to admit it.

Inevitably the day where we would have to go our separate ways drew upon us. We sat around the table in the cabin for the last time as I spoke groups and plans.

"Okay Kat, Bobby and Evelyn your taking the Tundra to the east, Mel, Jubes and Wolverine you take the mountains up north and I'll go through the…"

"Hold on a minute short stuff!" Jubilee said raising her hand I looked at her "You mean to tell me that you're going alone?"

"Well it's safer for you in large groups" I said matter of factly

"But it's hardly safe for you on your own is it?" Mel said in her best I know better than thou voice.

"At this present moment all I care about is all of you getting home to your family and loved ones safely, besides I'll be fine." I said reassuringly.

"Won't you be scared?" Kat asked wide eyed

"Me, nah I'm courage right?" I looked at them none of them seemed convinced "Besides you can't have courage unless you're scared, courage is doing what you are afraid to do, not that I'm afraid to do it."

My mum looked at me eye brow raised sceptically

"I don't like this kid" Wolverine growled

"Look I know what I'm doing, the way I figure it the groups are well balanced besides this is something I _*have* _to do to prove to myself."

"Prove what?" Bobby asked

"That I can do it, that I can cope, prove who I am" 

They all looked at me confused I sighed "I don't ask you to understand all I ask you is to support me, respect my wishes even." I felt uncomfortable again

There were silent nods around the table

"Thanks!" I grinned "Okay Hellfire, Tsunami, and Iceman you will be the first to reach the end you might have to wait there for 24 hours until Tantalus…" Mel smiled at her codename she had expected to be Aegis from now on but not with me, not with Retribution X "Jubilee, and Wolverine you will join them next. Now I want you to listen to this carefully if I have not arrived within 3 days of the last group I want you to _all _head through that portal back home to the mansion, and this is not to be questioned okay, if I can I will be there, if I'm not then I won't ever arrive but you must go, there will be no deaths in my team okay. Don't do anything stupid and say I would want you to risk your lives I want you to head straight back to safety!" The looked at me "Promise?" 

Kat I think was the only one who noticed the steely determination in my eyes 

"I promise" She said 

Mel followed suit, then Jubilee and Evelyn, then finally Bobby and Wolverine.

I smiled "I don't want to sound like a martyr or like Jean, but I need this time to myself, and hell you guys need protecting you've got people who need you a home and I'm going to make sure you get back there to see them, _all of you!"_

Suddenly Kat began to cry "Why does everything have to change? Why can't we just be back at the mansion the 5 of us…"she glanced at Bobby "…6 of us…" Wolverine growled "…all of us nicking Remy's tequila and singing Gloria Gaynor!"

Mel put her arm around her "Everything has to change Kat"

I smiled an old phrase my teacher in England used to use sprang to my mind "If things never changed there would never be butterflies!"

Kat sniffed and wiped her eyes "Your right! Let's go kick alien butt!" 

We walked silently to the door picked up our bags then continued to where the paths forked.

"We will see each other again won't we?" Ev asked quietly

"Of course we will we're Retribution X!" Jubes yelled.

I clutched at the dog tags that Wolverine had given us as a present I saw Jubes, Ev and Kat do the same, Mel clutched something around he neck but it wasn't her dog tags, I smiled it was Kurt's cross.

They all looked scared bar Logan; I was too, scared as hell. But the bravest thing you can do when you are anything but, is to profess courage and act accordingly…and that's what I did.

"Right then girls see you soon, stay out of mischief right!" I shook everyone's hands (I do not do hugs even now), Logan gripped my hand so tight I thought that he would crush my bones I looked him in the eye. __

_Look after them_ I told him through them and he nodded his understanding.

I turned around ready to get going and get it over with "And Bobby make sure Kat don't set anything on fire!"

And with that we all went our separate ways, none of us looking back because that would be too dangerous, too painful. We all walked towards an uncertain future, unsure in the way that we weren't sure we had a future.

**Next up Kats pov!!**

**Muse brandishes a plastic butter knife Review or ya gonna get it!**


	6. Tundra

**This was started by Red Haired She Devil and finished by Oracles Maiden many thanks to tha both of ya!!**

  "One way ticket takes me anywhere, northbound southbound I don't even care, I know the grass is greener there."

   I could hear over my many verses of Mamma Cass Evelyn repeating over and over, "She'll finish soon, don't worry your ears aren't bleeding." I worry about her sometimes. 

I turned to Bobby who had been holding my hand constantly since we had left the others and questioned, "You don't think that my singing's bad, do you?" 

   Bobby looked like a rabbit caught in headlights as he tried to think fast. But he hadn't thought fast enough. I took off my bag and hit him with it, hard! "I can't believe that you think I can't sing. You used to tell me that my voice was what you liked best about me!!" As I was saying this I repeatedly hit him.

   "I know I said that but, I lied. I'm sorry whittle kitty, I'd only just met you and you were cute and… will you stop hitting me!!" He grabbed me by the arm but that didn't stop me. I was nearly in tears now. Our entire relationship had been a lie. I couldn't believe him. I really hated him at this moment in time and from the look of it he hated me too. 

   "Will you too stop it I'm trying to listen out." Ev looked really agitated now so I stopped wrestling. She looked like she was sucking on a lemon. She was trying to take over like they all do but this wasn't going to happen like it did with Mel. I stood tall and began walking to the front of our little group. "Why are you walking like that? Do you need the toilet?" Bobby chimed in. Sometimes I really wondered why I loved the little monkey.

   Just then the ground shook. It wasn't like an earthquake as such, more like someone very large walking heavy-footed. "Dear god, what did you wake up here?" Bobby was trembling beside me and Ev didn't look that much better from her position. 

  It was up to me to decide what we were going to do…

  "You two, get in your positions!" I yelled. We had decided earlier that we would make a circle so that we could see in all directions when we were face to face with a monster. 

  Suddenly Ev let out a gasp. Both Bobby and I turned to see the biggest monster ever. He was around 9 foot tall and simply looked like a giant iceberg. I couldn't believe how easy this was going to be. We had me, who could control fire and could easily melt it. We had Bobby who could, surprise surprise control ice. Then we had Evelyn who… well we had Bobby and me. Ev seemed to have registered this thought as well because she was smiling to herself. "It doesn't have a chance." She murmured through her smiles.

   I screamed and ran towards the monster, hitting it with a huge ball of fire while I did so. Bobby had made some massive icicles and was throwing them at the monster as well, and Ev was doing the best she could with her power. But nothing seemed to be working on it. Suddenly Ev yelled from behind me, "It's not ice, its glass!" This was going to be tricky. I didn't pay much attention in the science lessons I had attended, but it wasn't as if anyone had ever said, "The way to destroy glass is…" All that I could think was to break it into pieces.

   I dropped my bag to the floor and as Bobby fought the monster single-handedly I rifled through to try and find my scythe. Although it wasn't that hard to find as it was already poking out of my bag when I started. I raised it as high as I could and took a swing. The monster was taken aback but didn't seem to care that it had just been hit. It began lunging towards Bobby while I tried to stop it by hitting it some more. But my tries didn't help.

   Bobby was dragged kicking and screaming into the icy water where he began to sink quickly. I screamed to him to stay above the water but it wasn't working so I dived in.

   The water was so thick that it felt like treacle but I could see clearly through it. I heard a crash next to me and turned to see that Ev had dived in too. It felt like looking for a needle in a haystack and both me and Ev had to keep resurfacing for air. Soon it became obvious that Bobby probably wouldn't be found. But I wasn't about to give up. I took one last dive deeper than I had dived so far. I felt like my lungs were bursting but I still dived deeper.

   Suddenly I saw him. He was caught in what I could only say was seaweed. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open slightly, letting in a lot of water. I grabbed him as soon as I saw him and began to pull him to the surface, for myself as much as for him. It wasn't going too well as we were heavy because I hadn't dropped the scythe before entering the cold water.

   As we reached the surface I gasped in the air, at that point, beautiful pure air. It took several attempts for me and Ev to drag Bobby up onto the ice again. But finally we did, and laid him out on the ice.

            I watched for the tell tale signs of breathing, there were none, and then propped my head against his chest to see if I could hear a heartbeat. His chest was colder then usual… was that a good sign?

            I could hear it, faint but there. 

            "His hearts beating…" I told Ev, then listened closer, "Its doing the bass line from we will rock you, but its there."

            "Whoops!" Ev said, stopping tapping her foot in anxiety…

            "Suddenly it's stopped!" I screamed, "Ev quick start tapping your foot again."

            She gave me the look Mel normally does… as though I'm not the genius I am, more like something with an I.Q. on par with a garden tool. "Kat… oh just shut up and mourn you boyfriend…" she wandered off and sat in amongst a snowdrift which did look comfy on second thought… I got up to go sit, but then I spotted bobby on the floor. 

            "Oh Bobby, the professor was right! People are going to get killed if they're around me too long!" I buried my head into his cold shirt. 

            "And Wolverine was right! I am a stupid girl with the weirdest choice of clothes in the universe! And Ash was right! I should never put a fork in the toaster or a hamster in the blender!"

            **Half an hour later…**

            "…And Beast was right! I should never wear flip flops with an evening gown…"

            **An hour later….**

            "And Mel was right! About… Everything really!" I cried ending my tirade for the moment… trying to think of someone else who was right…

            "Did I mention, the professor was right?" I asked Ev, who had made herself a little fire and was roasting a glove over it. She nodded as though I was boring her. 

            "Will you please shut up!!!" came an alien voice from Bobby's throat. 

            I jumped back a little; dead people weren't supposed to talk… or were they?

            "Oh Bobby." I cried leaping forward onto him as he sat up. Dead people don't sit up do they? "Oh it's like beauty and the beast! My love has saved you!!!"

            "No your voice has annoyed me! I can't stand listening to you anymore!" the alien voice said, Bobby's mouth wasn't even moving, neat trick- I'll have to try that one day.

            "Ok whatever, but you're alive! Give me a hug!" I leapt forward again. 

            This caused a curious reaction, he scrambled around on the ice looking like he was trying to find something… then he grabbed hold of my scythe, which had fallen out of my backpack and decapitated himself in one fluid movement. 

            I just stood amazed, then burst out crying "Oh no, Bobby! You've accidentally cut your head off with my scythe! Oh the fates are conspiring against our love!" I wept banging my head into the snow. 

            "Um, Kat!" Ev said pointedly behind me. 

            "Shut up, Ev. When your non existent boyfriend cuts his own head off, we'll pay you attention." I wept, "Do you think if I glued it back on he'd be the same?"

            "What?" a familiar voice said behind me. Could heads which have been separated from their body talk still, cause Mel had told me they couldn't… and I so wanted to prove her wrong. 

            "Bobby?" I asked looking down at the head in my lap… which had suddenly transformed into two long metallic heads with tiny eyes. "Oh Bobby I never realised how handsome you are."

            "Kat… I'm up here." Bobby's voice said again… and the heads mouths didn't move. 

            "I've seen you do that trick; I know that you aren't really behind me."

            "Kat, whatever the hell that is it's not me; it knocked me out about half a mile ago and hid me under a snow drift…"

            "Which snowdrift?" I asked. 

            "The one shaped like a big pile of snow." Bobby said matter-of-factly. "So when I came to I followed the sound of your beautiful singing and it lead me straight here."

            Finally I turned around, and it was true, he did look like Bobby- but there was only one way to find out if it was the real thing…

            "Who's God?" I asked watching his eyes. 

            "… Gloria Gaynor… who else?" he said. A buzzer went off inside my head… we have a winner.

            "Bobby!!" I screamed throwing myself again at the boy letting the heads on my lap fall off and roll into the water. "Don't ever get distracted, wander off, get hit over the back of the head and lay underneath a snowdrift while your look-alike falls underwater and kills himself again ok!"

            He looked confused but managed… "OK?"

"I think we should camp here!" I said in my best leader voice. 

"Well the map says we should camp here too and wait for the others."

"Ohhh goody waiting." I sat on the newly discovered grass. We'd come out of all the grass about ten minutes ago and I wanted to sit down. "How long do we wait…?"

            "Depends on how fast the others walk. Ash had the longest path; Mel could be here in a day… probably longer for Ash…"

"Board now!" I announced and lowered my head onto a rock. I was asleep within seconds.      

**Reviews make me (and my muse) happy and when we're happy I write more!! So please review!! **


	7. Alpenglow

**This ones**** by Oracles Maiden, so review and tell her what you think then maybe she'll hurry up and post her own fanfic!**

"Why did we come here again?" I screamed though the rising snow, my cape twisting and turning in the blizzards wind. I was so glad I'd grabbed it now. 

"Because Ash told us to." Jubes called back from in front of me where she was struggling in her yellow Mac, Wolverine who was up in front of her didn't look as if he was having much trouble at all. 

"Remind me why we always do what Ash says again?" I spat out the snow, this planets didn't taste as nice as our own. 

"Because she's the leader." Wolverines voice was barely audible.

I winced as the snow went in my eyes, so I pulled my cowl down a little. "And she's the leader because?"

"Don't backchat kid, you may be a goddess but I can still claw ya."

I winced. "Courage. Why was Ash courage? I could have been courage."

"You think too much, that's why you're Knowledge." Jubes shouted back... how she'd heard me I had no idea because I'd muttered as I often did when complaining. 

With this comment however, short little Jubes was knocked backwards into the snow by a sharp blast of wind, even I had to struggle not to be blasted onto my back. 

"Jubes you Ok?" I said leaning forwards to see her better. 

"I'm fine I just..."

"MELODY...!" A scream perforated the air. I looked up but it wasn't Wolverine who had called out my name. "MELODY...!" It was coming from the whited out distance. "MELODY...!" And whoever was shouting sounded in pain.

"MELODY...!"

"Who the hell is that?" I asked Wolverine who on hearing it had put out his claws and stepped closer to us as I kneeled over Jubes in the snow. 

"MELODY...!" It called again. 

"WHERE ARE YOU?" I screamed at nothing in particular. 

"MELODY...!"

"WHO ARE YOU?" I called again. Then there was a sudden rumble that shook the ground beneath us.

"Avalanche." Wolvie said as he grabbed hold of my arm. "Keep it down or you'll bury us all."

I bit my tongue, wishing I'd gone alone too. Then I wouldn't have to worry about Jubes or Wolvie, I'd have been ok to do whatever I had to- but now I had to think during battle... think about them as well as...

"MELODY...!"

"If I have to shut up will someone tell that bloke to keep it down?" I said, pulling the yellow Mac around a shivering Jubes. 

"He sounds familiar, Mel." She winced. 

"I know." I said, peeping out from the cowl then brushed it aside so that I had freedom of movement, so that I could turn and look about me. 

"Hello..." I called lightly, not wanting to disturb the snow above us. 

"MELODY...!" Then he came into view, like a perfect image against a white screen.

Doubled over in pain, dripping his blood on the pure snow, shivering violently for his uniform had been ripped to shreds by something... and the pain in his eyes...

"KURT!!!!!" I screamed feeling the pain well up in me too. I was yet also wasn't happy to see him, not this way, not this hurt. 

"MELODY...?" He asked, his eyes unseeing, blinded... he was blind.

"KURT..." I said standing, not believing what I was seeing, willing it to be a mirage. "Wolvie, do you see him there?" I asked, tears running down my face. 

Wolverine could only simply nod. 

"Jubes... what about you?" I said looking down at her. She had propped herself up in the snow to see what was happening. Her expression said everything her mouth could not. She saw him; she was seeing exactly what I was seeing. 

"Kurt...? Is that you?" I asked walking closer. "Kurt?"

"Melody?" He whispered just above the wind. "Is that you my Melody?"

I nodded tearfully before realising he couldn't see me. "I'm here Kurt, I'm with you Kurt."

"You are always with me Melly." He said before falling limply into the snow at my feet, exhausted, dying.

I rushed to him "Kurt!" Kneeling in the snow, the emotions I'd had since leaving him flooding out of my body within seconds, the loneliness, my hatred for this place all gone and replaced with concern for the man before me. "Kurt what are you doing here?"

He struggled for an answer "I followed you through the portal… I couldn't stand being without you. I love you my Melody."

I started to cry bitter tears looking down on him. He shouldn't have come he should have stayed at home without me, not here dying before me. 

"Are you crying Melly?" He asked innocently, letting his weak paw find its way up to my face. I nodded, gently knowing that now he'd know of my movement. 

"Do not cry my goddess. I am fine." He said, his breathing quickened and blood crept from the corner of his mouth. He really was dying. 

"Kurt please tell me who did this to you. Then I can go and make them pay..."

"Vengeance is a sin; an angel can not debase herself by performing a sin." He smiled through the pain. "You are an angel Melody, let this be."

"But I can't." I choked. 

"If God is to take me then let him take me from your embrace, my love." He had slipped his arm under mine; his tail used the last of its strength pushing weakly against my back trying to get me to lower myself against his chest. So at this insistence I did what he wanted lowered my head against his chest and pushed all thoughts of revenge out of my head as I listened to his slowing heartbeat.

Calming and killing me as it slowly died away, driving my tears and putting a knife through my heart as the man I loved died in my arms. 

Why did he have to love me? If he hadn't then he wouldn't have been here on this hostile mountain with whatever had done this to him... he wouldn't have been...

"MEL LOOK OUT!?!" a scream came from behind me as I sobbed on the corpses chest. Wolverine was calling to me. 

I looked up out of reflex and saw what he was talking about. 

The hand of Kurt's that had slowly slumped on his "Death" around my back was now raised up, transformed from the blue fur of Kurt's to a steely swords point.

Quickly I raised my force field before it hit me and it bounced off of it as I rolled away across the snow. 

When I looked up again from the ground Kurt had been transformed from his dead frame to a two-headed metallic beast. Both heads were mainly mouths with thousands of pointed jagged teeth and two little slits for eyes above them. And it was heading towards me, ripping off my cape as it did. 

I stood, mouth open rooted to the spot. I couldn't move for fear. 

"Mel... Kill it." Jubes shouted from the floor. I couldn't even raise my eyebrow in recognition... not that I could anyway. Instead I stood like a moron watching it advance on me, knowing it wanted to kill me... but strangely not being able to do anything about it. 

"MEL... KILL IT!" Jubes again screamed. But still I stood like stone. 

I felt metal hands around my neck lift me from the ground with very little trouble, steal fingers closing around my windpipe… I was going to blackout I knew it…

Then I felt something graze my stomach through the haze, sharp… deadly to anyone, but me. 

The grip loosened and dropped me to the ground, panting for breath. As I looked up I could see what it was now fully. 

Wolverine had saved my life. He was now in the process of pulling the… whatever it was away and off of his claws. 

"He didn't smell right." He muttered under his breath, "But hell I thought the kid would know him better than I could."

I just stared up at him… thanking god that I actually had them with me now.

2 hours later we were still trekking across the snowy valley between the two purple mountains. We'd made a splint for Jubes out of a root that had clawed its way out of the snow and attacked me… long story don't really want to go into it. 

Now further down the valley we had all learnt our lessons and decided not to trust either our eyes or our ears, which made everything a lot harder. 

At one point we'd been heading towards the horizon when Wolvie had pointed out that on the map it said there was a cliff directly in front of us… we didn't know whether Ashes map was the false one or if what we were seeing in front of us was. We decided to trust Ash… and if we died we'd come back and haunt the little runt. 

After another hour I felt like we were getting nowhere. We'd been walking for as long as I could remember… or at least wanted to remember, because we had been walking before that. And Wolverine wasn't about to let us sit down, not that we wanted to sit down in the snow… but it was a better option than the walking.

"Why did we come here again?" I moaned to Jubes, who I had to half carry.

"Because Ash told us to." Jubes answered, struggling. 

"Remind me why we always do what Ash says again?" I moaned dragging along the girl who was slowly loosing all the will to live she had. 

"Because she's the leader."

Suddenly I was having severe deja-vu. Maybe it was the cold, maybe it was the fact we'd had this conversation some 4 hours earlier but couldn't remember it. 

With my cloak gone I was frozen and the yellow Mac that I was leaned against wasn't letting much warmth from Jubes through. 

I wanted to be home at the academy in our nice warm wing in front of a nice warm fire throwing things at the Brady bunch. 

I wanted to be in class drinking shots every time Scott stuttered. I wanted to be talking about Macbeth and Othello with Hank. I wanted to be in bed with Kurt. I wanted to be making water bombs and fire bombs (Kats idea) and hurling them out the window at the professor as he dashed past. 

I wanted to be in the danger room on some harsh unforgiving planet rescuing the population from some unimaginable… ok scratch that one. I didn't want to be there. Scratch that again. I didn't want to be here. 

"What's that up there?" Wolverine asked us, I don't know why… he was closer to it and had better eyesight than either of us. 

"I hope it's a 5 star B and B with en suite bathrooms."

"And central heating." Moaned Jubes in ecstasy at the thought.

"Calm down Jubes my girl." I said prodding her back into the real world.

"Sparky?" I heard Wolvie call back… I looked up to the horizon again and saw slowly appearing out of the pure white, just as my vision of Kurt had, my lovely leader… only. 

She was hanging by her hands, which were tied together with robe, her throat cut, from a broken piece of wood. 

"Ashley!" and the brazen and rash Wolverine started to run towards her, his little legs chugging through the snow at the speed of light.

I felt numb… there was very little I could do though. Holding onto Jubes who was starting to blub at what she was seeing, I fiddled around in her pocket for the piece of parchment on which Ash had drawn our map, which I hoped we could still put our faith in.

When I found it I twirled it towards me and examined it again. This wasn't right…

"WOLVERINE STOP RIGHT NOW!!!" I screamed towards him. 

He stood caught between me and Ash. Looking distraught… I'd never seen him like this. 

"What the hell are you doing? Aren't you going to help her, or are you so up your own ass that you can't help your own leader?" He questioned me, driving a dagger through my heart at the mere insinuation that I wouldn't help Ash if she was in trouble.

"I'm not helping her because that isn't my leader!" I called back, less loud remembering about the avalanches. 

"I don't know what your smoking kid, but don't anymore." He said taking a step closer. 

Drastic times I thought, reaching back into Jubes' pocket again. Trying to find something I'd felt before. As my fingers brushed it I smiled. 

"Hey!" Jubes called as I pulled her red yo-yo from her pocket and dashed forward, sending her to the floor again. I ran straight ahead managing to catch up with Logan though I have no idea how I did it. 

I chucked the yo-yo out and let it slide out in front of us as we ran, rolling on its side for a metre… 2 metres… 3 then suddenly I disappeared, almost as if falling. 

Logan's eyes went wide as I pushed myself backwards to stop myself skidding on the snow.   

        Logan stopped himself and caught my arm, almost yanking it out of its socket. But the pain was better than death off the side of, my guess, a cliff. 

"We've been going round in circles for the last hour. Whatever that is couldn't convince us to walk over a cliff without provocation so he's using Ash. Because we all care about her." I explained. 

"Why her and not Kat?" Jubes called, with a mouth full of terrible tasting snow. I had inadvertently dropped her on her front. 

"Simple. I wouldn't give a rat's ass if Kat was hurt, because it would probably be her own fault." Wolvie growled as Ash started to look up, her eyes glowing red. 

"What in the hell is that thing?" He asked as it smiled wickedly at us. 

I took a sharp breath. "I think it's that thing that you stabbed back there, the one that pretended to be Kurt. The one that ripped up my cape." I said with more than a hint of anger in my voice. "I'm guessing that its part of this big evil that we're here to fight…"

"Oh you've only just realised that?" Jubes shouted sarcastically. 

"And I'm guessing that because of that it can't be killed with conventional weapons. Maybe mutant powers but not with normal blades or stuff like that, like your claws."

I breathed feeling around for something, and not being able to find it. "And seeing as my powers are more defensive than offensive, Jubes is my Bow over there?" I called out. The girl struggled about for a second before finding what it was she and I were both looking for. Beneath her yellow Mac I had asked her to conceal my bow and Quiver, because without my cape I knew how exposed it was. Now I was kinda glad I'd given it her, as the beast that had been Ash was now flying at high speed towards me, in particular my head. 

"Duck." Commanded Wolvie as he slammed my body into the snow for my own protection.    

When it was gone over us with a whoosh of air I leapt to my feet running back to Jubes and my Weapon. I leapt the final metre as the beast flew past again, its visage of Ashley melted away to reveal the true ugliness at its heart. I don't use the word ugly lightly, to many my boyfriend was ugly but to me he was the most handsome creature on earth, to most my mentor beast was a monstrosity, to me he was dashing, to some Wolvie was a midget with way too much facial hair, to me… he was distinctive. I do not use the word ugly lightly, this however was ugly. Its two metallic heads were chomping wildly trying to catch onto any part of me they could.

Jubes pushed the bow into my hands and held the quiver securely on her lap. I grabbed a single arrow tipped with green feather flights and pulled back sharply, aiming down the arrow at the heart of the beast. Then with all the force I could muster let go. The arrow hit home but didn't do much good as it continued to head towards me. I grabbed for another arrow and pulled back two by accident. 

Then it hit me… Two. 

I put one arrow on the bow and pulled back hard on the bow. Aiming and hitting target. Then I grabbed the other one and did the same. Now there was an arrow in either head of the monster, like the hydra in Hercules. And the beast wasn't flying towards me anymore; it was now heading towards the ground swiftly falling like an apple from the tree into the soft snow. The false ground in front of Wolvie disappeared proving at least to me that the beast was dead. And then with a terrifying crash its body hit the ground exploding into a rain of blue guts and red blood. 

"Duck" I screamed and we all did, after all how was I to know if the innards of this demon were corrosive or not?

When we were well and truly covered in the insides of the ugly thing we stood for a second examining the debris… half of which now covered my blouse. 

"Why did we come here again?" I repeated through Gritted teeth. 

Jubes looked at me afraid, Wolverine looked at me annoyed. But both said it all the same. "Ash."

"I'm going to make that girl's innards into eveningwear." I grunted in extreme anger… after all these were my only clothes on this planet… and now they were covered in red and Blue… not my best colours. 

Then we all heard it.

"What's that rumbling?" Jubes asked innocently… well as innocently as Jubilee could. 

"I was rather hoping that it was your stomach…" I said as rage swept out of me to be replaced with terror. "Tell me it isn't…" I pleaded Wolvie who stood bolt upright at the sound. 

"We'd better start running Goddess, cause unless your powers extend to shovelling snow we're in trouble."

The snow was getting louder behind us and I knew that with a hobbling Jubilee that we were in trouble.

"Do you have a plan that possibly doesn't involve us out running this thing Wolf boy?" I asked annoyed as I tried to drag Jubes again, with no help from the hairy one. 

"Less of the Wolf boy more of the pulling…" He yelled back as he ran in front. 

"You do realise I'm the important one here don't you. If I'm not around for that final battle you might not be going home!" 

He stopped, I hope because I'd made a good point, more likely though because he'd had an attack of conscious. He often had told us how easy it would be without us cause we were the only girls that he ever felt sorry he'd hurt. 

So we hurried, both taking an arm of Jubes' each and running as fast as we could. Hell at least it was keeping us warm. 

Then I realised the Wolf boy… Well wolf man was muttering to himself. 

"How could I have been so stupid as to think that was the girl…?"

"Hey, you aren't stupid… it was a good illusion. Hell I'd Kill to be able to make visions like that." I struggled under Jubes' weight. "Hell, it managed to convince me that it was Kurt… it even knew to call me Melly. It must have been telepathic. Don't beat yourself up about it."

We continued running, though the snow was growing louder, and louder and louder… it was starting to get green around us though… lush trees surrounded and the grass was beginning to emerge from beneath the snow. 

"Hold on." I said getting an idea. "I'll take Jubes, cut down a few of those trees and put them in a pile it should hold it back for a minute." I said taking the full weight and moving as fast as I could down the rapidly emerging path. 

Strangely he did just as I said… without a bribe. Then after a few minutes he caught up with us… not that we had gotten far. 

"Jubes when we get home… if we get home… I'm outlawing Twinkies from the fridge." 

"AWWWW" Jubes whined… "But they're full of creamy goodness."

My face turned as red as it could… "Never say that in my company again, Promise me that Jubes."

"Why…?" she asked innocently. Then her face turned red "Ohhh now I get it."

It kept me and her giggling like schoolgirls until we reached the meeting point… where Bobby and Kat joined in the laughter… although they didn't quite understand the joke.   

**Sooo**** remember Oracles Maiden loves lots of reviews, feed her!!**


	8. Desert

**We're back to Ash in the desert now!!**

**The next day**

I walked and walked I didn't stop walking, hell I was too scared to stop, I just wanted the whole thing over as quickly as possible, I didn't want to linger. I thought many times during that trek in the sweltering heat of the desert that I had made the wrong decision going on my own. But then I thought about my reasons for it, Mel constantly needs security and without Kurt Wolverine was (unlikely as it might sound) just they guy to help her, and Jubes had to go with them so that Wolverine could protect and be with his daughter figure. Kat needed to be with people who wouldn't judge her or let her lose confidence in herself, besides she needed to spend as much time with Bobby as she could and Ev had to go with them to make sure they didn't get distracted, and help them out, she is after all one of the strongest members of Retribution with her incredible control of her powers. And Me, I had to go on my own I couldn't risk the others lives like that, but there were also tactical and geological factures that had made me choose these teams, because the right balance of defensive and offensive powers were needed, and people like Evelyn would not survive in the desert she would just dehydrate. The more I thought about it the more I knew I had made the right decision. 

Thwack!

My body went flying backwards a short distance before it landing in the soft, if scorching, sand. I sat winded looking at my new foe that had crept up on me. 

I assumed that it was male although it looked more like an un-dead, its face was the colour and texture of stale dough or mouldy cheese and smooth to the point it looked like it had been dramatically stretched and it seemed so thin it was almost paper like. The attacker looked at me an idiotic grin splitting its face from ear to ear as it approached me slowly, menacingly. It had small black eyes which darted over me like malignant flies, as it pulled its bony arm back to punch me in the face. 

I rolled out of the way just in time to see the bony creature (which seemed to be wearing a potato sack) lurch forward with the force it put behind the punch.  I got to my feet quickly and charged my hands up with as higher voltage as I could with a ZZZZZzzzzzz before running towards it and punching it as hard as I could. The ugmo's (God was it ugly!) body shivered as it took on the charge. It was the first time I had ever used a voltage high enough to kill something so I was unsure if it would work. The body instantly slumped to the floor. I covered my nose with my hand as it began to instantly rot and give off the most putrid stench in the process. I picked my bag and sword up off of the sand and began walking again, thinking just how easy that had been. 

I began walking again and after another hour it was no good I was going to have to sleep but there was no shelter from either the sun or the evil minions. I sat on the sand and took a swig of my hip flask as I summed up the situation over to my left was what appeared to be some sort of cactus forest if I could maybe lay low in there I wouldn't be noticed. I picked up my stuff again and wandered wearily, feet aching toward the cacti. 

After getting pricked and impaled several times I had fought my way into the centre and put my blanket down on the sand and lay down careful not to get pricked and fell into a fit full sleep.

When I woke up the sun was just setting. I sat up abruptly and got pricked on the cheek by a nearby cactus. I felt blood trickle down my face, I ignored it however and snatched my bag and sword up and began my journey, I had lost too much time already. After about half an hour of walking I approached what seemed to be a small camp. I put down my bag and slowly edged towards the camp, if this was an enemy camp I didn't want to fight carrying my provisions. Once I was in the camp I hid behind a barrel of water, and observed a mismatched and misshapen group of …. what could only be described as monsters, they were sat whispering together in hoarse gravely voices.  

The 5 of them split up into different directions I craned my neck around the barrel to see where they were going. I'd pick them off one by one, starting with the hardest looking. I went to move away from the barrel when I heard shuffling behind me. 

"I told you that I smelt blood" said a voice not un-similar to how I'd imagine sandpaper to sound…old sand paper at that.

"Can I have a glass of sugar?" I asked with a cheesy grin

The ill tempered creature lunged at me with long sharp claws where fingers should have been.

"I'll take that as a no shall I?" I said dodging out of the way

One of the clawed ones colleagues had puckered and wizened features coupled with yellow, parchment like skin, its eyes were dark and betrayed a blood thirst and desire to torture far more apparent then that displayed in the eyes of the ring leader. This one began to close in on me.

I drew my sword ready to christen it; I lunged at it and made a swipe with the sword. Unfortunately this freaks thin chicken legs (literally it had chicken legs! Weird huh?) Were a lot more agile fast and sturdy then they looked. I flung myself forward again this time allowing my bioelectricity flow through my sword. The electricity jumped from my sword into the body of the freak, stunning him momentarily, allowing me to behead him (and believe me I was doing him a favour cause man was he Ugly!) I couldn't help feeling sick as the body, like the one that I had dispatched earlier in my journey, began rotting instantly.

The one with the hands which were as curved and crooked as birds talons and who was covered from head to foot with light, downy hair had decided it was it's turn for some arse whooping. Its backbone stuck out of its back in the most disgusting un-natural way; however it didn't seem in the least bit phased by the death of its friend. This threw a few fire balls at me, which I dodged easily as I silently thanked Kat for using me as target practice. I jumped on the barrel which had earlier been my hiding place and placed a well aimed kick at the lanky beasts head, reminding me of a past battle with Scuzzlebutt (okay Sabretooth). Its head span around but it just turned it back into place again as I looked at it in disdain. I ran backwards as it was joined by its three friends who where less human looking than this clawed, exceptionally ugly freak with its pig like features and long pointed teeth. I ran putting the barrel between me and them however they kept advancing so I pushed the water over them.

I started as I heard a hiss and saw smoke which too my surprise was coming from the main attacker as he began rotting alive. Just when I thought this situation couldn't get any weirder something like that happened to make me more surprised.

I decided that it was now safe to mock it "Congratulations, you won the ugly prize, now you get to die and…um…rot!!"

Okay so now I only had three more monsters to kill, but three very big angry monsters that were in a circle around me. I shrugged, oh well at least I had a wide range of targets. I threw balls of electricity at them, knocking two of them over, I seized the opportunity and put my sword through one, then stamped one in the face (it wasn't nice but somebody had to do it!) causing its head to squish flat with a horrible wet squelch.

I was now against the last of the camp, however the last of the camp happened to be a 7 foot and heavily armoured. Why couldn't I be destined to be an accountant or something?  

I threw another lightning ball at the guy "That armour looks like a mighty good conductor!"

 But to my surprise he grew, he must have absorbed the energy. 

'Great hand in hand combat!' I thought dryly

The way I read the situation the bigger this guy got the slower he would be so using the speed I had honed on the football (soccer if your American) pitch I ran around him trying to judge if their was a weak spot in his armour, however the big tin can span around knocking me on the floor. I touched my lip which had been spilt quite severely. I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly as anger grew inside me and I saw red. Anger flowed through my veins like water in the ocean, anger for everything that had ever happen in my life. I couldn't think I lunged at the huge armoured beast with the head of a bull wanting to gauge its eyeballs out and use them as marbles. I jumped heights I'd never preciously jumped to smack it in the face with the flat of my sword. I hooked its nose ring over my sword and pulled it, making the beast mad and lunge at me, however I just kept on pulling as it shrunk to about 6 foot, I pulled real hard until the ring was pulled from its nose. I felt energy I had never felt before; I had a bloodlust that was insatiable. For a short girl (5'1"ish) I had a lot of strength, however my strength knew no bounds, the heat was forgotten. The bull face kicked me square in the stomach with its large hard foot; however I felt no pain only knew a white hot anger which grew with every blow I received. 

I drew my sword down its face and drew blood, as black and thick as treacle. Again the monster shrunk, the more I hurt it the weaker it got until eventually it was shorter then me and I could wound it fatally. As it slumped forward and began it's abnormally accelerated rotting, I began to come down from whatever kind of state I had been in, everything became sharper again, the scenery, my thoughts, the heat, my pain. I slumped down into the hot sand and thanked god that I was alive, and that my friends weren't here, there are friends and there are friends, the ones you talk to, and have a good time with and the ones you'd die for, each type carries different obligations you've just got to figure out what they are and these girls, my team mates are the kind I would die for and protect until the end of time. I got up and hobbled to where I had dumped my bag, ripping my uniform off as I did. Damn it I would take a risk and walk around in my bra and pant's, I'd probably burn and blister but anything to cool me down…and believe me my uniform was hot.

**This will be the last I post today I'll put the rest up soon but I'm tired of doing this now so well hope you enjoyed!**

**Muse: Why don't you mention me anymore?**

**Me: Because I think these poor people have suffered enough by my hands by making them read this!**

**Muse: Good point!**

**So until next time it is a goodbye from us, next time you see us we should hopefully have a new addition.**

**Remember to review!! **


	9. Forest

**Hello I'm back and so is Kurt Kurt waves. Unfortunatly is my new Logan muse, he isn't much of a people person I'm afraid, he already tried to shred my dog!!**

******Logan**** glowers **

**I back away…slowly… RUNNN!!**

**Grabs Kurt's arm and runs to the cupboard**

**Kurt: If he scares you why keep him?**

**Me: He's just finding his feet, he'll settle down …. Honest! mumbles At least I *hope* so!!**

***SNICKT***

**ME: gulps Read and review!!**

**The next day**

I only encountered one more foe during my time in the desert however this time I had the element of surprise on my side and had dispatched of him easily. Now I had to cleanse the forest which was cooler and would provide safe places for shelter and thus, sleep. I walked for about an hour before I saw a hollow tree trunk beckoning me. I pulled up a patch of moss from under a rock to plug the gap up with so what ever wild animals that lived on this crazy planet couldn't attack me as I slept, to say nothing of the weirdo monsters I had encountered.

When I awoke my neck was stiff from sleeping sat up. I moved the moss and scrambled out from the tree trunk which didn't seem as good an idea as it had when I had crawled into it. I brushed all the foliage off of me, but I couldn't stop feeling grubby and greasy, but I would sure try to cure that if I found a stream I could wash my hair in.

I picked up my stuff and ate a mouldy biscuit, as I began the final leg of my trek. I hated to think what monsters I would have to face to purge this area of evilness, although the one I had already met were relatively easy compared to the likes of … say Apocalypse. I began to wonder what kinds of foes my friends had encountered and found myself drawn into thinking about them.

 Mel, god she made me laugh, the rest of us had all dressed in our uniforms for the trip, but not Mel who had dressed in a smart pair of trousers and a blouse. I smiled at the thought; she cared too much about her appearance which was kind of funny considering she never judged people on their looks. She never called everyone ugly to me the whole darn world was ugly except for those blessed by God (like Mel) with good looks. I wish I had the ability to make people happy like she could, just by smiling a whole room full of people felt much better, reassured even, hell she should have been the leader of this team not me!

Ugliness that made me think of Logan, who was a bit of an ugly runt bless him! I am quite possibly the only one who will tell him this when he gets on one of his ego rampages. Logan, I thought about him for a second, the hairy one, he was strange, he was on he side of the Angels yet  known to toe the line awfully close to the opposite of what he fought for, hell he's even stepped over  time or two. He was a guy who loved harassing and ignoring higher authority yet someone who wouldn't hassle a police woman if he got arrested. He was a girl's best friend yet could make a fully grown man blub like a new born baby.  

Then there was Kat who seemed simpler than anyone else you could ever meet yet she was one of the most complex people there are out. With her appearances are not reality, she may appear dumb but she's razor sharp there's not much that she misses. To be honest its hard to define where the front ends and her reality begins.

Evelyn with her sweet kindness, and caring ways one day she would make an excellent teacher at the institute and I knew that was her dream, to help the kids gain the kind of control over their powers that Xavier had helped her achieve. I envied her, she knew where she wanted to be tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, when I didn't know what I wanted to do from one hour to the next. 

Then there was Jubilee with her vivacity and her zest for life, nothing kept her down for long. Although a pessimist like me, in times of need she was the hope we all needed reminding of. Jubilee remembered as the fun one, with the ideas for a great night out and a new fun activity to help whittle away the time between lessons or battle. She really was a firecracker, unpredictable, exciting, fun (and exhausting to watch) but not always the safest thing to play with.

Then there was Bobby, the perfect match for Kat, although they were kind of like opposites you know the whole fire and ice thing. But despite his frigid power he was one of the warmest people you could find, and if you could get him to understand, he actually cared. There's not many people like that left nowadays, men…good men are so rare, it's scary.

At that thought I spotted a lovely refreshing looking waterfall in a clearing of trees I grabbed a towel out of my bag and my shampoo, pulled off my jacket, t-shirt, boots and socks and ran for it in a frenzy of happiness.

I emerged from under the water feeling refreshed and ready to meet the next monster, it seems that the powers that be recognised this and decided to send a nice villainous monster to attack and hopefully slaughter. It just kind of landed in my path from nowhere this big ugly (but aren't they all) serpent like creature, I looked into its eyes, and then it slithered off. Strange I thought, can't have been a bad guy after all and continued on my merry way. However it wasn't very long before the rain began to beat down through the immense foliage, and I heard the distant rumble of thunder. I felt my stomach turn to lead and my mouth go dry, I looked around fro shelter. I saw a flash of lightening light up the forest, and shut my eyes trying to block all this out as panic seized me; I knew I couldn't carry on that at this point I had failed my friends. Yes! I am scared of thunder and Lightning; wouldn't you be if you got struck by lightning when you were 15? It is one of the only things I have _ever been scared of , no one knows of this fear, like many things in my life I have kept this a secret, I just disappear to my bedroom when ever there's a storm and wait it out. Now I had no where to hide, and as I heard the thunder rumble around me I collapsed in a quivering heap on the floor. I sat rocking backwards and forwards wanting nothing more than a good book and my bed back at the mansion I wished that I wasn't there living through this. It was over, all over now! There was no way I could continue._

'It was just a stupid dream to play the super hero you knew it couldn't last' I told myself as I felt an unfamiliar dampness on my face, I realised that for the first time in ages I was crying. 

After 10 minutes I began to snap out of it as the storm raged on, I was the leader of Retribution X I didn't give up, so what if I got scared, more scared then I've ever been, I know it sounds stupid but I was more scared sat in that storm then I was in the battle in the desert, hell I kind of enjoyed that, but I am not as fearless as I like to think. I shut my eyes in an effort to calm down, 'Damn it Ash, your courage, right? Well remember courage is nothing but resistance to and mastery of fear!' I told my self. I thought of what I was fighting for, I was fighting for a freedom, lives, a world that I knew little about but what I did know was enough to make me combat this fear, this world, Linslee needed me. That was what clinched it for me I fought the fear I felt and began back on my trek. At that moment I realised I was in fact dry despite having been stuck in a thunder storm. I looked up from the ground which was dry to once again meet the eyes of the serpent which had somehow shrunk, in a similar way to the evil bull headed thing that I fought back in the desert, but what had I done to hurt it and make it shrink? 

Again I looked and the creature had disappeared and one again I continued my journey. I finally reached the end of the forest and saw where the others were waiting for me, but instead of looking pleased to see me they looked angry and they were battered and bruised my heart sank. 

"Where the hell have you been?" Kat asked angrily

I shot her an angry glare telling her to shut up.

"We almost died out there!" Jubilee sounded different than her usual happy go lucky self. "And because it's obvious you do not care about the welfare of the team, thus why you wandered off of on your own, we have appointed a new leader: Mel and well we've decided there is not a place for you within the team anymore!"

Okay this day was getting weirder and weirder. 

Jubilees words were like an icy fingers wrapped around my heart squeezing out my very essence.  

 "What do you mean?" My voice faltered

"You're out! You're unwanted! Don't make this harder then it already is!" Mel spook up now in her gentle voice.

I took a deep breath as I recoiled like they had dealt me a physical blow. Their words hurt, hell they hurt, for the past year and a half I have lived for this team, doing all I could for them, now it was all thrown back in my face. Suddenly my life seemed pathetic, best ended, all I ever wanted was to be loved and accepted, all I wanted was the best for the team, how could I have got it so wrong?

My life, my miserable bitter life, it should be ended forthwith, without them, with out my job, I had no life!  I pulled my sword from its sheath which was rested on my back under my bag as the thought of ending it all crossed my mind. I took a deep breath as I feel to my knees and place the razor sharp edge of the sword against my wrist.

"Go on do it!" Mel taunted

My head snapped up this wasn't right; Mel would _never _act like that! It was almost as if someone was playing with me and my fears. I began to think more logically, there would be other jobs with the Avengers (hell they took anyone) or some other group for people with powers like mine, if not I could work in a shop maybe I could become a driving instructor when I became older. My future felt safe again and I put the sword back in the scabbard and got up from my knees (White Lightning knelt down before nobody). When I stood up the scenery around me shifted and once again I was face by the serpent, which again diminished inside before suddenly transforming into me but in a different costume. 

It drew its sword "You can fight your fears but how well can you fight yourself?"

I matched its movement drawing my own sword. "That was the wrong move buddy, I'm gonna make you disappear quicker then a snow flake in hell…fast!"

I lunged at it before slipping, I quickly kicked out at its feet, and it remained upright however. I scrambled back up as we began a swift sword fight.  For the second time in my life, my vision became different, my thoughts disappeared as rage filled me, I fought with the thing that looked and moved like me charging its sword when I did blocking when I took a swipe, and then suddenly I felt a cold numbness in my shoulder, and the rage seemed to drain from me in the same way that the blood began to seep out of my body, I lay on my back gasping for air and watched as my opponent, the most worthy I had met , raised its sword above it's head and I knew that it was the end for me as my vision came in and out of focus I knew that I may soon gasp my last.

**Don't forget to read and review ****Logan**** gets grumpy….er, grumpier when he hasn't been fed so save an author today and send your reviews!!**


	10. Waiting

**Okay the first Melody POV is written by the excellent Oracles Maiden**

**Kurt muse saunters past with a cigar**

**Ok it looks like Kurt's picked up some bad habits off of my new ****Logan**** muse! Oh well he'll break the habit soon no doubt coz i it looks like he will be going home to NcsGirls fanfics soon (he really doesn't like ****Logan**** I'm afraid) **

"Can we go yet?" whined Kat, sitting and clutching her knees as she rocked back and forth… she was seriously getting on my nerves now. She'd been doing it for the last fifteen minutes and had been moaning since we'd arrived at the camp, 2 days previously. 

            And I wasn't the only one it was annoying. 

            I had noticed that Wolvie was very quiet and was looking at the girl like he was a grisly bear… and she was the salmon. He was going to pounce any second… and as the closest thing to a leader around here I felt compelled to act. 

            "Right we need to do something to relieve the tension around here…" I stood and said kindly but commanding. 

            "Yeah we do…" Kat smiled looking up at me. "Like going home."

            "No."

            "Oh come on… please?" she whined again. I was 2 seconds away from grabbing her throat and squeezing as hard as I could until her eyes bulged out of her empty head. 

            Then I had the best idea I'd had on this damn planet. 

_"Standin' on the mansions porch  
You told me that you'd wait forever  
Oh and when you held my ice  
I knew that it was now or never  
Those were the best days of my life  
Back in the summer of '03  
Man we were killin' time  
We were young and restless  
We needed to unwind  
I guess nothin' can last forever - forever, no"_

 Bobby sang desperately off tune, into an old branch, trying to do Elvis' Las Vegas at his very worse.                                                       Ok I admit it, a karaoke contest in the middle of nowhere wasn't the greatest idea I'd ever come up with… but it was all I could think of at the time… and it was relieving the stress on everyone… well… except Wolvie.

            "If you don't stop I will personally kill both of you!" Wolverine growled as Bobby and Kat launched into the second verse of their new release "I've got Sauce Babe."… And I was willing to help him.                                                                          "Please!" I pleaded with them, clutching my head… "Please do not destroy any more of my precious brain cells."                                                                                                      Kat looked at me dumbfounded before she took the 'Microphone' and started beating me around the head with it… No one really bothered because they were all comatose from the singing… except Bobby who stood and pointed.                                                     Then in the distance we heard it… carrying on the wind past all of us. It awoke the rest and halted the barrage from Kat… Bobby however took a while to stop laughing.  "Ash?" I questioned stepping forward at the sound of "Livin' on a prayer." I didn't want to believe my ears or my eyes anymore… but that song I couldn't dispute… our leader was back… bloodied and bruised but back.  

I stumbled towards them applying pressure to my wound with my t-shirt that I had taken off and was now becoming liberally drenched in blood as I pressed it to my shoulder under my leather uniform Jacket.

I needed to focus my mind in order to stop my falling in to a faint from my blood loss, so I was singing the Bon Jovi song 'Livin' on a Prayer' it seemed to fit my life the last couple of hours or so.

Yes I'm still alive, how? You might ask, quite simple a flash of inspiration as I looked death in the eyes. Despite what I had believed, I was not ready to die. I had lay on the floor feeling the blood ooze from me and listened to the roar of the waterfall behind me, waiting for the fatal blow. Then it occurred to me.

"If you are me, then your weakness is my weakness" I rolled out of the way of my opponent's blade and pushed them to their end over the waterfall and to the jagged rocks below.

I smiled faintly as I saw my friends but didn't let up the singing hell, it was keeping me alive. I stumbled forward as they saluted me, I just kept my little sing song up. I just kind of slumped on the floor at their feet and grinned 

"We're all alive then!" then I fell asleep 

***

When I awoke I was aware of eyes watching me, I couldn't see them it was more of a sensation then anything because I kept my eyes clamped firmly shut. 

"Jesus can't a girl have a sleep without people staring at her now?" I moaned groggily

"Come on girls lets give her some space" I heard Mel's mother hen voice float through my sleepy mind.

I opened my eyes and hissed in pain as the bright sunlight burnt my eyes I sat upright quickly.

"Oh I wouldn't move so quickly you might rip your stitches!"

"What stitches?"

"The stitches that we put in that nasty stab wound in your shoulder, Wolverine did it"

For some reason that alarmed me

"Is he really qualified to be doing that?" I asked worried, for all I know I could have an arm stuck to my foot, I checked quickly everything seemed to be in the right place.

Jubilee stepped forward and spoke for the first time "Apparently he's trained in field medicine, whodathunkit huh?"

Mmmm…indeed he'd kept that quiet.

I stood up and brushed the grit off of my trousers. 

"How long was I out for?" I asked Ev who was looking at me worriedly

"Hard to tell everyone's watch stopped when we came through the portal, but you slept all through yesterday and well into today" 

I nodded, funny I still felt tired.

"We'll stay here 2 more days until everyone's got their strength back then we'll push on to Teasel which isn't more then a days walk away" I said prodding the tender wound which was freshly stitched with something that didn't look like it was meant for the purpose.

"Where's Wolverine, Bobby and Kat?" I asked suddenly realising that they were missing

"They've gone to get food, well Wolvies catching our dinner, and Kat and Bobby are fetching some more fire wood" Jubes said prodding what was left of the fire with Kats scythe.

"I'm glad Kats gone too, she was giving me a headache with all her moaning" Mel said massaging her head to prove a point. 

I had a killer headache and everything seemed slightly fuzzy due to my blood loss.  I sat on a log and began to lay down my plan, they wouldn't understand, well Mel and Kat would…correction Kat would understand eventually, and the rest would just have to. I would speak to Mel and Kat about it when I got the opportunity to get them alone.

**2 days later**

The days went slowly as we had nothing to do and it was increasingly hard to get Mel and Kat together alone, but I did and Mel agreed whole heartedly with me, Kat needed a bit of persuading but she could see the logic now it was time to share our decision with the rest of the group.

I stood on the log flanked by Mel and Kat; it made it easier talking down to them.

"Okay we have all seen the portal, and we have probably all thought bout walking through it at some point, now we are telling you to go, you have to!"

I looked around as there was a chorus of "No ways"  

"Look the fact is, well…it's an order" I looked around at their angry faces and softened my tones "It's for your own good you know"

"How?"

"Look just trust me."

They looked disbelieving "Please do it for me…us"

Jubilee nodded "I'll go but only cause you said please"

Ev nodded too.

That was clinched then if the others didn't agree we would push them through.

**Logan****: Ya gonna review ain't ya!**

**Kurt: grins angelically Please! Feed me before I return home!**

**Logan****: Stuff that! Review or I'll claw ya! Coz if ya reading this ya really have no excuse not to review!**


	11. More Goodbyes

**Hello again sorry I haven't updated in a while but I've had exam results and stuff to get this week, and next week isn't looking too promising either so I'll put up as much as I can today. **

**Firstly thanks to all who have reviewed!**

**Secondly check out Oracles Maidens new fanfic 'Misfit'!**

**Thirdly Kurt muse has gone home to NcsGirl and her fab fics! So hi to you two!!**

It took them a matter of minutes to pack, (Wolverine grumbled all this time though) and they were soon ready to leave.

"We will see you again right?" Ev asked

"I won't lie to you and tell you that all of us will get back to earth safely. The chances are that we'll never all see each other; I'm not going to lie to you about that. But I will say that if it is within my power we will all see each other again but I really wouldn't bank on it!"

Jubes shook her head as tears dripped slowly down her face.

"We can't go knowing that" Ev said quietly

"Please don't worry, you know me I'm pessimistic!" If only I could believe that, I pleaded with my eyes to Wolverine to get them out of here.

He seemed to take heed and began to shuffle them forward. Bobby and Kat, differences forgotten, clung to each other sobbing. Slowly they let go of each other and stood with the others at the portal entrance. I hated goodbyes and now it was huggy time I just knew it.

Mel ran over to Wolverine and clung to him crying softly he held her tight. I got attacked by Evelyn and Kat by Jubes, Bobby stood on the outsides trying his hardest not to cry.

I myself was almost fighting off tears and you know how unemotional I am! Then we all switched hugging partners, this process kept up until we had hugged everyone. The last person I hugged was Logan who gave me a little squeeze s he had the others even Kat. 

"Be safe!" He whispered in my ear

I nodded pulling back

"See ya round kid!"

I shook his hand as I had the others, it was my way of saying goodbye, I know it was impersonal; business like brisk but that was the only way I knew how. 

"We won't ever forget you, you know that right?" Jubes said tearily

We nodded grimly "Ditto"

"We love you guys!" Evelyn said before letting out a sob that trembled through her body visibly "No matter what happens we will always be friends forever, you will always be part of the team!"

I felt my eyes beginning to swim in tears which I forced back down.

"I love you Kat, I always have and always will and I want you to know that I will wait for you forever if that is what it will take" Bobby said salty rivers cascading down his cheeks.

"You better do Drake" Kat feebly joked in between sobs, sobs that sounded as if they come straight from the heart.

"You'll tell Kurt that I love him always won't you, tell him that if I never return that I died thinking of him." Wolverine put an arm around her shoulder as she let go of all control and wept into his shoulder.

"Come on girls, we'll all be back in danger room sessions together before we know it!" I said aware that I was contradicting my earlier comments. I was determined not to cry

"What are you so afraid of?" Wolverine whispered to me almost inaudibly

"What you on about Captain Canada?" I teased trying to steer myself away from the tears stinging the back of my throat.

"Why don't you just let go and cry?" He whispered still so the others wouldn't hear

"Why don't you?" I asked him back

He smiled and cocked his eyebrow in submission. "I'll miss ya, all of ya, even you brat" 

He ruffled Kats hair, making her smile through her tears. 

"Its time we were off and left these three to their job and to look after themselves" He said steering Jubilee who was now clinging to him towards the portal. The man known as the Wolverine then winked before we saw his back disappear through the portal.

Was that a tear I saw fall shivering down his hairy little face or was I seeing things?

Mel, Kat and I stood in a line and waved them through the portal, Mel and Kat shaking with their sobs. They continued to stare after the others long after they had walked through the portal; I made myself busy bustling around the camp, collecting all the stuff ready for our departure, not because it needed doing but as a way to block out what we had just done. But the way I saw it was that it was our mess to sort out not our friends, and if one of us wasn't going to return I was going to make damn sure that it wasn't one of them instead of me. That's right did you not pay attention to the prophesy? It said that courage never returned from the mission and I knew damn well that I wouldn't either, so to avoid any accidents I knew that my friends had to leave it was the only way you see. Was I scared by this knowledge? Was I sad? To be honest I felt calm about the whole thing, numb maybe, but I could not and dared not fight the inevitable. What if I avoided my own death and by doing so signed the death warrant for Kat or Mel? I would never get over it, so you see it's something that I had to do, and the sooner t was over and done with the better, the more it was delayed the more I wanted to walk through that portal to safety and that was not an option here.

We left on the final leg of the journey as soon as the other two had plugged the water works (which was no small task let me assure you), my final journey, _ever. Of course I didn't tell the girls that. _

"So what do you think we'll be fighting?" Mel asked apprehensively

"The usual ghouls and monsters that we have met up until now" I said stomping up a steep slope.

The girls remained silent for a while before Kat asked "Do you think that we will make it back home alive?"

"Honestly Kat I really don't know, but I sure hope we all do"

"I miss them already you know." Mel said quietly "I miss Jubes and her sparky comments, Ev and her unflappability, Bobby and his sweet caring ways, and most of all I miss Wolverine and the way he made me feel safe." She paused "But I miss no one more then I miss Kurt but I am determined I will see him again, and when I do I'll just sit and look at him and feel happy that I am with him"

"Gross!" I muttered "Who are you kidding anyway; you'll be eating his face off before you can say 'hello', then you'll run off to his room and we won't see you for ages!" 

"I will not!" She cried outraged

"Alas, the truth speaks but is not as full as the romantic notions you hold so dear!" I said trying to sound like Xavier, more for something to do then anything else. "You, bless you, seem to see life as one big romance song, novel or whatever, but you more then most know that romance ain't everything. Surely the fact that he is safe, alive and walking around is enough for you?" I asked intrigued by her answer

"Yes to a certain extent, but in the same breath I feel that it has got to the stage where I can not contemplate a life with out him"

"Funny, I feel that there would never be a life for me or him if we were together" I muttered more to myself then Mel. I soon realised my mistake

"Oh, who is he? Is it anyone I know?" Kat pumped me for answers

"Oh no one" I muttered turning my attention back to Mel "But surely you would be happy knowing that he was happy whether you was part of that happiness or not? Love surely is when you love them enough to let them be happy and you let them go?"  I wasn't getting myself across clearly

"That's what I thought but when you find the one you love and you love him back, then you will hold onto him with everything you have and you will find a way to work through all difficulties it least that's what I believe" She turned to face me and broke into a small sad grin "So who's this person you were muttering about?"

"No one important, just someone I like the look of but it isn't love or anything; it would never work with me."

"Why not?" Kat asked

"These things just don't" I said abruptly signalling the conversation was closed.

**Hope you enjoyed, please review coz it's the responsible thing to do!**


	12. Destination:Final Battle

**Ok this is another short chapter but it will make a bit more sense this way (hopefully) then it would the other way!**

**The next evening**

"I assume that huge, dark castle that is shrouded in mist and has black clouds over head means we're here!"  I said dryly before collapsing on the floor "You two get some rest I'll watch out, we'll infiltrate the base at sunrise tomorrow." The girls nodded grimly Kat with tears shining in her eyes. 

"I'll cover you while you sleep in about 4 hours so just shake me awake, you know how hard I am to wake up" Mel said quietly settling down onto the soft grass.

"Don't do that!" I hissed grabbing Kats arm

"What I always make a fire, and it's gonna get cold tonight"

"Yeah brilliant plan Brains why don't we just send a message telling them that we're going to arrive in the morning to kick arse?"

"What"

I sighed weary "They might see the fire." Just settle down and sleep it'll soon be over with and this time tomorrow we'll be on our way home…well kinda"

Kat did as she was told

Truth was I really didn't know what they were meant to do when all of this was finished; mum had said to follow the road north to the fishing village of Larrah. What would await them there she didn't detail, but hopefully it was a ticket home to where it was relatively safe where they had Kurt, Bobby and Wolverine looking out for them. 

**Sunrise******

We picked up our weapons and our bags

"So here goes nothing" I said more to break the silence that hung in the air like the smell of stale tuna

"Don't you mean here goes everything?" Mel asked solemnly

Jeez and there was me trying to make this seem a little less life threatening why did she always have to be so damn truthful and straight laced?

"Hmm…d'ya think they'll like our lil' moving away party?" I asked with a small chuckle

"How can you joke at a time like this? When we're staring our demise or the demise of a whole galaxies population right in the face?"

"It's quite simple really; if I treated everything as seriously as you do I would go insane. Christ joking is the only thing you can do when you're in a situation like this, it's the only way you can remember your alive and in control of the situation, worrying does nothing but prove that the situation is in control of you" I said beginning to walk towards the dark gloomy castle.

Kat had said nothing since she had woken up this morning; she had thrown up twice though.

And so we set off not knowing what was to await us, a band of three, to the unknown, for one of us to our death. I stood tall and proud for the first time in my life, I was the leader of Retribution X, I was going to lead us to victory, I was a good person despite any doubts I had. The only thing that I regretted as I strode cautiously towards Teasel Castle was that I had never found the one to love the imperfections, but that obviously wasn't meant to be. Are you a believer in fate reader? I never was but I knew that _this _was my fate to bow out of the life which I never fully understood the meaning of, in a blaze of glory. Ohh that reminded me of Bon Jovi!! 

'If only I had known I was gonna die so young, I would have made sure I'd done a few more things with my life' I lamented to myself

I put my fingers to my lips to indicate silence, as I heard a squelch is the black mud up ahead. We crouched down low to avoid detection and watched as what we assumed to be a guard past us. We then proceeded silently and with more caution.

After what seemed like hours we was by the gates of the Teasel.

"How we gonna get in?" Kat asked fidgeting and biting her nails.

I chewed the inside of my cheek "Dunno" 

I looked around for any obvious openings that we could sneak into, there didn't appear to be any, I looked around tensing my jaw, wait there was a window (more a gap in the stone really) but it was just a little high up for a short arse like me to reach.

"Mel hoist me up to that window" She did as she was told and I crawled through once on the ledge of the window I helped Kat up as Mel gave her a bunk up and then we both pulled Mel up.

I jumped from the window surprised I didn't break my ankle from the drop to the hard flagstone floor.

"Everyone okay?" I asked just as what sounded like hundreds of heavy footsteps approached from the distance. I grabbed Kats arm and ran through a wooden door, which we secured the best we could, I looked around we seemed to be in a main hallway. Up above was a balcony looking down on the scene where we stood. 

"Where are we headed?" Mel asked breathlessly

"I honestly don't have a clue" I said feeling my thumb twitching slightly from nerves, my head feeling slightly giddy from the adrenaline and lack of food

The door started to get broken down "Looks like we've got company kids!" I said calmly hoping to keep the other two calm "Mel try and get up to that balcony and shoot them down as soon as they get through the door, Kat you come with me"  I looked over my shoulder at Mel "Good luck! I hope you get through this okay no I know you will! Some story to tell the others back at the mansion huh? Well keep safe, bye" I ran off pulling Kat after me aware that this would be the last time I would ever see her

"Goodbye Ash, we'll have to celebrate this one when we get back and remember we'll always be friends forever whatever happens"

Aww hell why did she have to go all 'Fox and the Hound' on me?

We ran to the next room where again I carefully blocked the door the best I could in the rush 

"Mel will pick off some of them when the burst through the first door, when they get two this door maim or kill 'em as quickly as possible"

Kat slid to her knees "I can't they might have a family" She began to weep

"You can do this Kat, be brave think of Bobby and getting back to him and you'll be fine" I said trying to comfort her as quickly as possible.

"Aren't you staying and helping?" Kat sniffed standing up again shakily

"No Kat you'll be on your own I'm going to find the boss guy and finish this once and for all."  I squeezed her shoulder "It's nearly finished now, soon you'll be back at the mansion throwing ice cream at Bobby and raiding Wolverines porn stash. Oh and no matter what the outcome remember you ain't as dumb as you look or people lead you to believe"

I looked at her tear streaked face for one last time before I ran up a nearby stone staircase to my destiny and my death.

**Please review or I'll either get paranoid or un motivated!! **


	13. Final battle

**Oh god looks like the Beast (****Logan**** Muse) has woken up!! Read then review or flee to the hills and hope he don't find you!!**

I don't know what it was that told me I had reached my destination, it could have been second sight, it could have been because I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it could have been the not so hollow silence that shrouded the room (which was huge and cold), I don't know it could have been anything but I *knew*.

I drew my sword ready to face whatever demons were about to come flying out at me. Nothing happened for about five minutes, it was worse than if everything had all flown out and attacked me at once but the stillness was unbearable, I wouldn't be able to take much more of it before I cracked. I just stood waiting for the blows to come, however they didn't come. 

Suddenly the air became so thick it was hard to breath, so heavy it crushed me like a sponge cake under a brick. It was worse than the air outside which had become increasingly thick since we had arrived. It felt like treacle swamping my lungs, I tried to keep my cool and not panic, that was exactly what *they* wanted…whoever *they* were.

Suddenly as if from nowhere two stone-human/lizardy things jumped out of nowhere and attacked me with chains.

"Ooohhh I'm so scared!" Hell I really was but taunting people was always good. The thing is with these lizard dudes no matter how much you smashed 'em up the just put themselves together. However I smashed up one of their heads pretty badly and it seemed to stop it putting itself back together. I sliced the other ones head clean of with my sword and as its head began to spin (yes you did hear right, spin) around the floor I stabbed my sword straight into its centre causing it to shatter.

I stood up shaking slightly, ok that wasn't so hard.

"Ahh, Courage you made it here then, I have been expecting you for the last week, my final test before my intergalactic domination" The voice echoed around me

"Hey I can throw my voice to" I said more to convince myself I wasn't afraid then to prove it to him, yes it was definitely a male voice, deep booming and under other circumstances it would have sounded, you know, normal not scary.

"Ahhh, you have a sense of humour, pity your predecessor was oh so serious." The voice played with me had me dangling like a worm on a hook.

"Where are you? Why don't you show yourself so we can get this finished with?" I demanded

"Funny they said that, your very familiar to them you know, right before I pulled him into the vortex where he hoped to keep me trapped for all eternity with me, and lets just say…he is now a little on the ugly side, the exteriorly and interiorly by the way, as a matter of fact why don't I bring him into greet you?" I heard a clap of hands 

Out of the shadows stepped what once must have been a tall man, but was now stooped and scaly with weird tusks jutting out of the middle of his cheeks. 

"Courage 2 meet the original Courage, let's just say he hasn't eaten in a long time and he has long since lost his…" He paused for effect "…human aspect"

I looked at what, if this voice was to believed, had been the original me, if that makes sense, who was now disfigured and willing to fight for what he had once fought to eliminate. 

The scaled one approached cautiously almost as if it hurt to move, teeth bared, sword drawn, face contorted into an expression of rage. But when I looked in his eyes I could see hurt, pain and regret pooled behind them.

"What have you done to him?" I asked lip trembling

"Years in a vortex can do that to some people, those who find it torture to be shrouded in dark thoughts, pain, misery and suffering. He is now completely at my bidding, and will destroy you." 

I had to stall for awhile, give me time to think of a way to release this poor tortured soul. 

"Are you like this too?" I looked at the ceiling hoping to find the voices source

"Some people thrive on what tortures others; I am at one with shadows. Believe me I'm not the same fool who was defeated all those hundreds of years ago, I'm stronger now." The voice grew to almost a shout "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED AGAIN! ATTACK YOU SLIME BALL!"

The original courage jumped physically at the command and rushed at me sword in front, I dodged the blow however for some one who had previously moved so painfully, he jumped over me and grabbed me from behind around my neck. Luckily Logan had taught us how to get out of such situations and I slammed him onto his back. It looked up at me fear in its eyes; I felt pity and sadness settle in my stomach like lead. I pulled away

"I will not hurt you" I had to reach the man inside the tortured body

It got up and capitalised on my reluctance to finish the job by sending me flying into one of the stone walls, if I had been Rogue or Logan I would have left a dent, however it was me and god did it hurt, I assessed that I had broken at least two ribs, good going huh?

"You don't want to do this; you don't want to hurt me…" I told what was left of my predecessor as I gasped for breath like a fish stranded on land "I can help you just tell me how"

He lunged at me sword held in front of him like a spear, and that's exactly what he wanted to do to me, spear me, impale me. I had no escape I looked him square in the eyes awaiting the searing pain that was to come; I moved my head slightly to the side and shut my eyes.

The pain didn't come when I expected it to so I opened my eyes only to find the point of the sword hovering in front of me, barely touching my skin but just enough to prick me and draw blood.

I looked into his eyes and saw turmoil "That's it fight it, you can stop this."

The eyes stared back at me unsure of what course of action to take next.

I lay my sword over both of my hands "See this, do you remember it? It's your sword, I'm looking after it for you, if you fight whatever's trying to push you out you can have it back and we can finish this once and for all, forever…"

He cocked his head like a spaniel and looked at the sword recognition flickering in his eyes.

He opened his mouth, then shut it again as if trying to remember how to speak; I saw the muscles in his lizard like mouth twitch. He swallowed loudly as he pushed his sword in to me harder.

I struggled to my feet "I can help you just tell me how"

"Mmnnkill meeee!" the voice came out raspy and dry, barely audible and hard to understand

"What are you waiting for kill her you waste of space" The voice which had been absent from the room spoke up again sounding slightly frenzied

"You want me to kill you?" I asked it quietly as I pushed its sword away

He nodded his Lizard head slowly eyes filling with tears

"There must be another way?" I asked eyes never wavering

The lizard head shook in a no, but maybe it was a yes you never know in cultures other than your own so I thought I'd ask him for confirmation

"Is that a no?"

"Nnnn Kill me"

I looked at him "I can't your me in a way, I don't kill the good guys, hell I don't even wanna kill the bad guys too much blood has been spilt on this land already, I don't want to be the cause of killing this planets very own living legend." 

It sounded like my voice, I stood shocked when I realised it was my voice, I didn't realise that I had compassion, that I had stopped being like the robot past experiences had moulded me into. I was no longer White Lightning the fearless mutant leader of Retribution X, or Courage the saviour of a cluster of planets including this one , Linslee, I was Ashley Donovan a human, a teenager with little experience of the joys of the world but possessing emotions that until now, stood here facing the toughest decision of my life. God I had missed being just Ashley for so long, I couldn't remember a time when that was all I was, and if I had to name a time it would probably be before I came to the institute, I had brief glimmers of being just Ashley like the first night on this planet, other then that I was always trying to be something else, somebody else.  

 I looked unsure at the lizard man, no man stood before me.

"Realise me from this nnnnah torture" It told me voice growing stronger more sure

Hesitantly I resumed a strong grip upon my sword

"Aww isn't this sweet, it's like a family reunion, that's it you kill the weakling I have no purpose for him anyway, he will not be mourned, he was never a real human, he was bad, bad to the core like me. We are one of the same him and I" With that last statement from the shadows stepped a tall broad shouldered figure, complete with Magneto-esque cape. What was it with bad guys and capes?

I looked at the figure wavering in my resolve to kill the man in front of me, the voice that had taunted us was fitted the figure perfectly tall and powerful looking. He was a male about 45 in age with charcoal hair streaked with ebony, he certainly wasn't *ugly* as you imagine evil people, he was more human than I expected. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this man who you could easily imagine having the perfect home, with a perfect wife and two perfect children (a boy and a girl). 

I looked away from him not wanting to think about anything but the remainder of a man stood in front of me.

"Kill me!" With each time he repeated this phrase it became clearer. 

I nodded tears prickling my eyes, I knew then and there that I would never have to perform a more difficult task in my life, I squeezed my fingers around my sword until my knuckles were white, my mouth felt dry. Suddenly a thought hit me like a rancid smell.

"If you die I won't know how to fight this geezer, I need you and your knowledge, your experience even…" I pleaded becoming frenzied as I saw death approaching me in the form of the evil guy, whose name I did not know, like I knew nothing of this land, the people or my foe.

Courage's voice was clearer now as if becoming surer of his voice, or maybe the control he had over the body.

"Kill me now and I will help you, but first un cage me!" His eyes pleaded "I promise"

I swallowed my tongue feeling thick and like sandpaper.

"How?"

"The sword, I lived by the sword I will die by the sword, that sword *our sword*"

I shut my eyes, in an effort to stop my head from spinning, in an effort to block out that feeling.

I raised my sword up as the lizard body knelt before me and I brought it quickly down. The sword was sharp alright; it glided through the scales, muscle and bone like a hot knife through butter. I felt my stomach churn as I began to retch at the thought of what I had just done, it is one thing to kill an enemy, a monster, but some one good, your only hope, it was devastating, tears rolled down my cheeks unchecked.

**Gulps Erm Logan says review!!**


	14. A little help?

**Okay this is the second to last chapter and is quite long so hopefully it will (with the last chapter) keep you amused until A) I post another story or B) Update X Big Brotherhood!**

My enemy looked at me head cocked to the right slightly "You are weak, you shall be easy to dispatch of"

"He's coming back to help me…he said….he promised" I fell to my knees and looked dispassionately as he gained on a me a slow carefully measured step at a time determined to enjoy this last scene before he would win.

Suddenly a beautiful white light shone from where the decapitated body lay, it flooded the room balming me in a warmth and hope I hadn't felt before.

I looked over to where the evil genius (or whatever he was) had stopped in his tracks, looking shocked.

"I knew it" I whispered as I saw a figure in white approach me.

The figure was tall and broad like that of someone in his prime. The face was an incredibly handsome one with a square jaw, and black eyes that shone with passion, courage and a steely determination, his face framed by black sideburns and thick black hair. Something was wrong however, his body was a transparent as mist and its movements were too smooth as if it was gliding.

"Let me help you" His voice was, deep and strong, he glided towards me, it was as if time around us had stopped

I nodded tears flowing faster than ever.

"I'm sorry" The voice whispered as the soul of what had been a great man and fantastic warrior entered into my body.

It was as if I now had two brains had lived two lives; I was two people in one body. I could see the first courage's, no Mordekai that was his name Mordekai's life as if it was a film in the cinema. He had been a lonely child, training for a destiny he little understood. As an adolescent he became cocky in his achievements as a warrior and had entered into a battle which had resulted in the death of a much loved and respected man, he blamed himself and the community branded him evil. Ever since that day Mordekai dedicated his life to the use of powers to good, he became a doctor where he met Antalias a.k.a knowledge. They became fast friends. The memories flowed faster now they were more hurried, he met Innocence or Rhett as was his name a young boy aged just 12, he protected him and treated him as a brother. Then the world became dark, the air became so thick that many died, strange creatures reeked havoc amongst the mainlanders. Mordekai knew that day that it was time to fufill his destiny, he held fear in his heart but stuck firm to what he felt he had to do.

I clenched my eyes shut tighter then they were before as a knowledge flooded me that made me want to scream in pain, this man in front of me trying to destroy Linslee was Mordekai's uncle. I felt as Mordekai had felt, I felt the betrayal the searing pain the man he had looked up to for most of his life was the cause of so much pain, suffering, and death, he was the reason Mordekais grandmother had died. A sob raked through me as I saw the 'final' battle and I felt how it was to see your friends, hell family for the last time. 

Suddenly everything was moving again and Grimmler (that was Mordekai's uncle's last name) made his way towards me grabbing at me and sticking a large white hot pin in my neck as if from nowhere.

"Having the two of you joined up will make this much more fun" He hissed in my ear.

At that moment I heard the door fling open.

Flump Kat was here, that was the sound her hands made when she lit them.

Grimmler snapped his head up to look at the new comers.

"Your little mind games won't work with me girly." He sneered at who I assumed to be Melody "I was forged in the crucibles of fear and destruction, I *will* prevail"

I gasped for air as he pushed the spike into my neck further. Mordekai must have taken control of my body then because I moved, I got away but I had no idea what I had done to achieve this new state of release. I clutched my throat when my body was once again relinquished to my will.

Kat and Mel ran to my side.

"His power is…." I gasped I had to let them know "…he control's the shadow world and it's shadows."

Kat and Mel looked at me blankly 

"He can control both the dead, from any dimension he can twist the shadows to infect your mind." I touched my neck where a slow trickle of blood was now seeping

Grimmler shot between shadow to shadow, so fast it was hard to keep track of him. ZZZZzzzzz "That should slow him down!" I hasped at the effort it took to produce such a high voltage and psionically direct the balled electricity to its target as opposed to letting it earth as it wanted to. 

There was a slight frazzle as it hit him but it didn't seem to affect him at all, it slowed him down but only a little. I frowned searching deep into my mind trying to reach Mordekai. 

Only I didn't have time because Grimmler made the room pitch black.

"He gets his energy from the shadows, he's going to attack us and hard." My mouth moved but it wasn't my voice, it was Mordekai's.

Kats hands, which were still alight, gave off just enough glow to be able to see Grimmler eyes shut deep in concentration.

I clutched my head "ARGHH!" the pain was intense as if my brain was being ripped out.

"ASH!" Mel screamed stooping down to where I knelt on the floor.

He was ripping Mordekai from inside me, I clung on with all my mental strength but I was just no match, I felt at that moment that we were going to lose, everything around me started to spin, I clenched my eyes shut in the effort I was using to keep Mordekai inside. 

Suddenly the pain stopped as if by magic, I probed my mind quietly, tenderly.

~Are you still there Mordekai? ~ I thought

~Yes, only just though he was using his powers to control the spirits to rip me out of you, it could have left you dead you know, we're going to have to be really careful~

I looked around, what had made him stop, then I saw Mel had protected us with her barrier, a barrier it seems impenetrable even by psychics. I looked at her it took immense concentration for her to keep her shield up especially when she made it so strong. 

"Thanks Mel" I breathed standing up. "He won't be able to keep up this shadow blanket much longer he's drained his powers too much holding it up whilst attacking my mind" Mordekai had supplied me with that knowledge

And sure enough the room was soon light again, Grimmler stood in one of the natural shadows. I knew then this was the time to attack while he was recharging his energy and thanks to Mordekai's past experience, knowledge and the power he had shared with me.

Mel lowered her shield; I stepped out into the middle of the floor.

"This ends here Grimmler, you have destroyed to many lives to just be let free" Tears slid down my face at Mordekai's memories, Mordekai continued to speak for me "I let you live last time I shan't do so again this time you shall perish"

I stood forward, drawing in all of the power I had, and what little Mordekai had had left.

"Guy's I need you to help me okay" I asked Kat and Mel, I'd never asked for their help before.

I held my sword before me.

"What can we do?" Kat asked in her small frightened voice

"Channel all of your energies, your powers into me"

"How?" Kat sounded braver than I had expected, I knew I didn't have to explain as Mel stepped forward and clamped her hands around mine on the sword, Kat quickly followed suit.

Kat gulped "Will this hurt?"

"A little, I'll try and be gentle, please concentrate." I begged quietly, there was movement in the shadows he had drawn enough energy soon our time would be lost.

Then two misty figures I recognised as Rhett and Antalias stepped forward

~The want to help too~ Mordekai told me

~Good we need all the help we can get~

And so the 6 of us channelled our energies into the sword forged of light, and using the power of all that is right that was sealed in it we killed Grimmler, he disintegrated in front of our eyes like a vampire in the sunlight. All that is good in our hearts shut him away aided by the little bits that weren't so good. After that there was a blinding white light and then darkness.

So I didn't die as I had convinced myself I would, however I was badly injured and the power of the others that had flowed through me had knocked me out for two days, when I finally came to I saw the ghost like forms of Antalias and Rhett as they headed towards the light and whatever kind of heaven they had here.

~Mordekai? ~ I probed my mind ~why haven't you gone with them? ~

I could feel him in my mind, like a small tickle in the edges of my being.

~I can't when I came to help you lost my chance to join Rhett and Antalias, ~

~I'm so sorry! ~ Tears trickled down my face

~No I'm sorry, your stuck with me until you die, when your spirit will be laid to rest mine might to~

And so he was, that day when I set his spirit free was truly the last day I could ever be just *Ashley Donovan*, don't get me wrong I don't regret the decision, I'll never regret it while I remember Mordekai's memories of the blood shed at Grimmlers hands. There is much of that day I didn't share with you here more action not necessary to the main story, a lot of stuff much to painful to ever write down. But now I feel safe in my mind lives Mordekai, he keeps quiet most of the time he lets me live my life without his interference, he lets me get through things on my own to insure my own personal growth but some days just knowing he's there inside of me is the biggest comfort. Like at night when I have a nightmare, either one of my own or his' he's there inside of my mind comforting.

When I finally awoke from my two days of unconsciousness, we made our way to Larrah where we saw my mum and a celebration was held. We stayed on in Linslee for 4 months learning of our roots and the beautiful planet, unblemished by pollution and revolution we each made special pilgrimages to memorials of our predecessor's (allowing Kat and Mel the time to get to know their home planets).  At the end of our 4th month on the planet I knew it was time to go home, no one said anything but I had heard Mel weep over Kurt in the small hours of the morning and Kat increasingly wondered whether Bobby had found somebody else, and for my part I just missed being anonymous (it had some how got out that we had saved the planet and we were treated like royalty) and the comfort that I felt shroud me in the Retribution X mansion. The biggest shock came when I went to speak about going home to my mum and she told me she was already home, and that she would stay here until the end of her time, she had grown up in Linslee she had told me and she had been away from her home for too long already and she didn't want to be away from it for even a moment for the rest of her life. It's strange but neither of us mentioned the possibility of me staying and seeing out the rest of my days in Linslee, we would see each other again we vowed as we bid each other farewell in front of the portal that would lead us back home, I would just have to wait until the portal opened again at Westchester, then I would come back and visit her. As I left the only blood family I had, the only security that had remained constant throughout my life I felt a tug at my heart but no misgivings about my decision. I waved at my mother for the last time I saw tears in her beautiful eyes, the first time I had ever seen it and I felt the familiar prickle at the back of my own green eyes. I stepped forward into the woods on the grounds of the mansion. We walked in the dusk through the woods until we were clear of the trees and we could see the mansion, when we ran and didn't stop until we had entered the kitchen of our only home, where we were met by Evelyn and Jubilee who were cooking for the new recruits (trust me anything cooked by Jubes or with Jubes help is gonna taste bad!)

**Do you want more? Was it an anticlimax? Let me know I am always interested to hear your views (and it also keeps that evil muse who attacks my dog happy)**


	15. EpilogueThe end?

**My muse is being nice for the time being (he has a stoogie and a cheap beer) so you may proceed in peace!)**

We soon got back into the old routine, except with new people. Tristan as I had guessed turned out to be a valuable asset to the team both in battle and in recreation, Bounce gained more control over her powers and soon became one of the first people you asked on a night out with you, and Richard was well, Richard he spent a lot of time with Hank researching but when he did come out with us he was generally good company even if he wasn't the life and soul of the party.

We continued like this for 2 years and Evelyn was fatally wounded in battle, I can honestly say that was one of the darkest times we've had as a team, it was a sad time she had known she was going to die and had done her best to make us feel better, the founding members were with her as she died holding onto Jubilees right hand and Mel's left hand. Evelyn's death will be a moment etched into the recess's of my mind for all eternity, it haunts me in my darkest moments and can mar any other memory of the time we had before her death. It seemed such a shame to me to lose someone with so much drive and compassion of all of us she was the one who knew where she was heading the most clearly, she was so close to achieving her goals she was going to be heading to college later that year and she was going to train to be a teacher and teach here at the institute. As a mark of respect to her we always have fresh roses in Retribution X's wing of the institute and her bedroom shall never be occupied by anyone else, not yet a while anyway it hurts so much to go into her neat room, where her textbooks lay untouched awaiting the return of their attentive reader, and know that her light, her essence was snuffed out so suddenly and so violently, it was not the death that one such as Evelyn deserved. Of all of us Jubilee was the most effected by the death of her companion, her best friend, it got to the point where she found it difficult to even walk into the kitchen where Evelyn had cooked for us so often with out bursting into tears, and she never took the elevator where her and Evelyn had once gone on their infamous drunken rampage. As a way to help her grieve and get over Ev's death Wolverine took Jubilee on one of his trips away, we didn't see her for 6 months and when she came back she did seem different, happier then when she left but we all know that a year on she still weeps herself to sleep.

Other changes occurred in the team after the death of Evelyn, Wolverine reclaimed his bedroom with the X-men and so his place in the team (which he had never fully left) although he did still accompany us on the more tricky of our missions, and occasionally when asked by Jubilee he would stay the night in his bedroom here which we left untouched.

Other changes were more to sleeping arrangements within our part of the mansion, Melody, who previous to Evelyn's death had slept each night I Kurt's bedroom now moved with him back into her old one, mostly because I think she drew some kind of comfort from being near to us her family, especially the 4 remaining founder members. 

Bobby is also now increasingly becoming a perminant fixture with us, where he will spend the odd night with Kat (in the guest room , no one was brave enough to spend a minute let alone a night in Kats bedroom). 

Other than that things tick along pretty much the same with us we still get drunk (but legally now), we still argue, we still pull pranks on the Brady Bunch (otherwise known as the good family Summer's), Wolverine is still known in these part's under the alias Elvis, in a similar way that Sabretooth is Scuzzlebutt and Hank the dictionary. Have we matured at all? Not on your life! Mordekai has remained in my mind all this time and he will remain there until the day that I die, then maybe then his soul can truly find peace for the first time since he departed from the world of living (before he entered the vortex).

I stop typing momentarily to stare out of my bedroom window to look at the view and think back to the times when we were the all girl team of 5 (oh and Wolvie) and yearn to go back to them but I know we never can, like we can never repair Scott's brakes (Kat tried to fix them) and we can never bring back Evelyn. I sigh hands hovering over the keys of my laptop and wish I could type that immortal phrase and we all lived happily ever after, because how often in reality does that come true? So I shall merely leave this an open ending and maybe one day I will again take to my trusty computer and maybe, just maybe you won't have heard the last of us. So until we meet again, I bid you farewell and goodbye.

**The End?******

****

**The hell it is!!**

_Did you like it? Don't worry it isn't the last of Retribution X. Retribution X number 12 (Christmas Capers!) is in the pipeline and shall be finished at the earliest opportunity as will the new Chapter Of X Big Brotherhood!_

_Did you find Evelyn's death a bit of a anti climax, I know Oracles Maiden did, but there is method to my madness (well kinda). Here are my reasons for killing _her_ 1) Evelyn was getting boring to write. 2)Because I could! 3)I felt the team needed revamping a bit (the X-men's always having people snuff out and getting new members)_

I killed her the way I did cause I thought she should die unobtrusively in the fashion she lived her life!

Ok that was all for the benefit of those who actually gave a damn that she died, but if you have any favourite Evelyn moments (mines in Possessions, Ballet and fancy dress when she runs in asking if anyone's seen a naked Tibetan man in a Stetson carrying a hundred dollar bill).  


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